Portugal arrests further 15 police officers in ongoing Lisbon rape and torture probe

A further 15 constabulary officers suspected of torturing and abusing susceptible radical were arrested successful Portugal connected Tuesday, successful a widening probe into abuses of powerfulness successful the Iberian country.

With the suspects taken into custody connected Tuesday, a full of 24 constabulary officers are present nether probe for alleged acts of "aggravated torture, rape, maltreatment of powerfulness and aggravated assault," according to a constabulary statement.

Investigators carried retired astir 30 searches connected Tuesday, including successful 2 constabulary stations successful the Portuguese superior Lisbon wherever the abuses are believed to person taken place.

According to the Portuguese press, the victims were chiefly undocumented foreigners, stateless radical oregon cause users.

When questioned astir the lawsuit connected Monday, constabulary manager Luís Carrilho said: "We enforce a zero-tolerance argumentation toward cases of misconduct."

"Citizens tin proceed to person assurance successful the police," helium insisted.

March arrests

In March, 7 constabulary officers were remanded successful custody connected charges including torture, rape, maltreatment of powerfulness and superior carnal harm pursuing alleged crimes astatine a Lisbon constabulary station.

The Public Security Police (PSP) officers were arrested connected 4 March successful transportation with alleged incidents astatine the Rato Police Station.

A tribunal astatine the clip justified pre-trial detention by citing the information of continued transgression activity, superior disturbance to nationalist bid and the hazard of grounds tampering.

According to Portuguese paper Correio da Manhã, the probe was expected to impact astir 70 officers from assorted constabulary stations, including immoderate with the fertile of chief.

The PSP's Lisbon Metropolitan Command said it "strongly repudiates immoderate behaviour that constitutes a flagrant usurpation of these principles," and stressed the instauration itself reported the facts to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Two different PSP officers were already successful pre-trial detention connected akin charges astatine the aforesaid constabulary presumption astatine the clip of the March arrests, authorities said.

They were arrested successful July past twelvemonth pursuing raids connected respective Lisbon constabulary stations for "possibly committing assorted crimes, including torture, offences against qualified carnal integrity, embezzlement and forgery."

The officers were formally charged successful January. According to the indictment, the officers chose victims from among the astir vulnerable, chiefly targeting cause addicts, stateless radical and amerciable immigrants.