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Amnesty International releases 2007 report

• 07 Jun 2007 •

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (AI) has released its flagship annual report. The 2007 edition surveys the state of the world’s human rights during 2006. The document states that incidents of police ill-treatment and fatal shootings continued to be reported in Portugal. AI says that at least six people died as a result of lethal force by police during 2006, which again raised long-standing concerns about the possibly unnecessary or disproportionate use of force. Police union leaders have blamed inadequate training for such killings, adding that officers also lacked sufficient guidelines on use of weapons. Furthermore, the report mentions that overcrowding, poor hygiene and lack of resources in prisons increased concerns about substandard conditions. According to the Directorate General of Prison Services in May, 70 per cent of prisons were operating over their intended capacity and three of them – Portimão, Angra do Heroísmo and Guimarães – at more than double the designated number of prisoners.

AI also considered that violence in the home continues to be a problem for many women in Portugal. Of all violent incidents reported to the Portuguese Association of Victim Support, 86 per cent related to domestic violence. Thirty-nine women died as a result of domestic violence between November 2005 and November 2006. The report also points out that several incidents of racial discrimination continued to be reported nationwide.

The Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination reported that in the previous six years it had received 190 complaints. Of these, only two had resulted in a fine and 60 cases were still pending. Insufficient resources resulted in cases taking two or three years to resolve, and many were shelved for lack of evidence.

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