Another 15 officers suspected of torturing and abusing vulnerable people were arrested in Portugal on Tuesday, in a widening investigation into abuses of police power in the Iberian country.
With the suspects taken into custody on Tuesday, a total of 24 police officers are now under investigation for alleged acts of “aggravated torture, rape, abuse of power and aggravated assault”, according to a police statement.
Investigators carried out some 30 searches on Tuesday, including in two police stations in the Portuguese capital Lisbon where the abuses are believed to have taken place.
According to the Portuguese press, the victims were mainly undocumented foreigners, homeless people or drug users.
When questioned about the case on Monday, police director Luis Carrilho said: “We enforce a zero-tolerance policy toward cases of misconduct.”
“Citizens can continue to have confidence in the police,” he insisted.
