The Ministry of Justice explained to Lusa the circumstances surrounding the detention of prison guard João Vaz during the far-right demonstration at Rossio, Lisbon, coinciding with the April 25th parade.
The Ministry stated that legal convictions for crimes committed outside the scope of professional duties, which do not violate the professional standards of prison guards, cannot result in disciplinary consequences or lead to disciplinary processes.
João Vaz was sentenced in June 2022 by the Lisbon Central Criminal Court in connection with the ‘Hammerskins’ case. He received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for one year, for illegal possession of a weapon (a knuckle-duster) and was acquitted of racial, religious, or sexual discrimination charges and aggravated assault.
The Directorate-General of Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) indicated they were only informed of the Central Criminal Court’s decision on the ‘Hammerskins’ case on February 24 of this year, more than two years after the ruling was given.
It was further noted that the decision is not final, with an appeal pending at the Lisbon Court of Appeal, highlighting that “the employee was acquitted of most of the charges.”
The DGRSP explained that in cases involving acts committed in private life that are unrelated to professional duties, depending on the seriousness of the alleged facts and respecting the presumption of innocence, a disciplinary process is initiated, which is typically suspended pending the final judicial decision.
Regarding the disciplinary process initiated following the April 25th clashes, resulting in a 90-day precautionary suspension, DGRSP noted that “considering the public impact of the incidents, the seriousness of the conduct, and its implication for the reputation of the prison guard position and the DGRSP’s overall integrity, an immediate disciplinary process was initiated.”
The prison services added that the disciplinary process will proceed, albeit closely monitoring the ongoing criminal investigation.
The DGRSP had previously clarified that the disciplinary process was “initiated following information provided by the criminal police authority/prosecutor’s office, as having a particular ideology outside a professional context does not alone warrant disciplinary action.”
The Ministry of Justice explained today that the guard is suspected of assaulting Public Security Police (PSP) officers during the disturbances, which violates the professional statute of prison guards, justifying the initiation of a disciplinary inquiry in this case.
Following the clashes on Friday during the far-right assembly parallel to the April 25th parade, João Vaz, neonazi activist Mário Machado, and former judge and far-right party leader Ergue-te, Rui Fonseca e Castro, were detained by the PSP. They were taken to the Lisbon Metropolitan Command and released later in the evening after being notified to appear at the Justice Campus on Monday at 10:00 a.m. for a hearing with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The hearing was postponed due to power outages that left mainland Portugal without electricity, and a new date has not yet been scheduled.
The detentions were justified by the PSP for disobedience, resistance, coercion, and threats to media outlets, following unrest at Largo de São Domingos after an unauthorized far-right supporters’ assembly.
