15 Police Officers Detained as Lisbon Torture Probe Expands in Portugal
Expansion of Torture Investigation in Lisbon Police Precincts
Latest Detentions and Charges
LISBON, May 5 (Reuters) - Portuguese law enforcement officials investigating cases of alleged torture at two central Lisbon precincts detained 15 police officers on Tuesday, raising the total number of those charged or arrested to 25, police and prosecutors said.
Initial Charges and Broader Inquiry
In January, prosecutors charged two officers with torturing vagrants and migrants and then sharing images of their acts in an online chat with dozens of other officers, triggering a broader inquiry.
The two are awaiting trial, accused of torture, acts of cruelty and abuse of power, according to the indictment. One also faces charges of rape, robbery and forgery.
Another seven people were detained in March.
Details of the Ongoing Investigation
Nature of the Detentions
Police confirmed Tuesday's detentions that also included one civilian but would not say whether those held were suspected of carrying out torture themselves or of failing to report abuse they had witnessed in person or in shared videos.
Testimonies and Silence Within the Force
Prosecutors have said the abuse was reported from within the police as well as by some of the victims, but they have cited only a handful of such testimonies, saying most officers who allegedly knew of the torture stayed silent.
Response from Rights Groups
Amnesty International's Concerns
Rights groups such as Amnesty International have long expressed concerns about police brutality in Portugal.
Implications of Image Sharing
While it welcomed the investigation, Amnesty said the sharing of images and messages about their acts in chats and social media in this particular case showed "an enormous sense of impunity" among the officers.
(Reporting by Andrei Khalip, editing by Aislinn Laing and Sanjeev Miglani)
