A magistrate from the Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DIAP) in Coimbra was slapped on the morning of Thursday, October 16, by a man who went there for a proceeding.
To Notícias ao Minuto, a source from the Union of Public Prosecutor Magistrates (SMMP) disclosed that the aggressor wanted to be heard by a magistrate rather than a judicial officer and had even visited the DIAP facilities several times.
Today, “after cutting in front of everyone waiting in the hallway,” the man confronted a magistrate and ended up slapping her.
Police were called to the scene and arrested the man, who will now undergo a preliminary judicial interrogation to determine appropriate coercive measures.
The assaulted prosecutor, who is under 30, was taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) for reporting purposes.
Union cites lack of security. “Not a dignified place for a DIAP”
To Notícias ao Minuto, the union criticized the DIAP Coimbra operating in a building with other services, lacking policing, only with security, and no control.
“It was a situation expected to happen,” laments an official SMMP source, acknowledging it “could have been worse.”
“Entry to the building is unrestricted. There’s no police, only security. No metal detector. It’s not a dignified building for a DIAP,” highlighted the same source.
In a statement sent to newsrooms this morning, the Union of Public Prosecutor Magistrates had already “condemned” the assault, reiterating their longstanding criticisms, namely, “the lack of security conditions in buildings and adequate offices for conducting inquiries in criminal investigations.”
DIAP operates in a building with hairdressers and cardiologists
Regarding the DIAP in Coimbra, the union notes it “operates in a building shared with commercial and clinical services, such as a hairdresser, law office, and cardiology clinic, compromising the discretion and dignity demanded of Public Ministry activities.”
“Entry to the building is unrestricted, without any metal detection, and access to two of the DIAP’s floors is done without any security control. The lack of space forces magistrates to share offices, complicating sensitive proceedings. Also, the district court remains in planning for several years, with no construction initiated,” the SMMP states in the same note, emphasizing this incident is just “another evidence of critical situations identified in several districts, like Coimbra.”
“The absence of human resources and adequate infrastructure compromises not only the safety of magistrates but also the efficacy of justice,” the officials note.
The case of the magistrate assaulted today “raises serious concerns about the protection of justice professionals and the urgent need for investment in facilities that ensure safe and functional environments for the exercise of their duties.”
