Portugal is abolishing its Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) amid court trials over the death of a Ukrainian national at a Lisbon airport detention center in 2020, the government announced on Wednesday
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2021) Portugal is abolishing its Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) amid court trials over the death of a Ukrainian national at a Lisbon airport detention center in 2020, the government announced on Wednesday.
A new administrative body, the Asylum and Foreigners Service (SEA), was formed to substitute SEF starting tomorrow. According to the government, some of SEF's functions, such as border checks and human trafficking investigations, will be passed over to police departments.
In March 2020, Ihor Homeniuk, a Ukrainian national, was transferred to a SEF-run detention center after he had tried to enter the country without a valid visa and refused to board a deportation flight. He was found dead in his cell two days later.
The SEF chief resigned from the position after months of backlash, while three immigration officers responsible for assaulting Homeniuk were charged with murder. The trial began in February. In April, the prosecution dropped the murder charges and changed them to assault under aggravated circumstances, resulting in death.
International human rights organizations and migrant advocacy groups claimed that the March 2020 incident was not a one-off case, as there had been other reports of abuse against foreigners arriving in Portugal, and called for a full overhaul of the system.
