PSP agent reprimanded for undressing women activists at police station after protest

The Minister of Internal Affairs, José Luís Carneiro, in January applied a disciplinary sanction of reprimand to a PSP agent who, in May 2021, ordered several female activists to undress during a search at the Olivais police station after a protest . The General Inspectorate of Internal Administration (IGAI) had concluded that the procedures adopted by the agent did not appear to be “appropriate, proportionate or necessary”, despite being “legitimate and legal”.

The case dates back to May 22, 2021 when, as part of a protest by the Climáximo collective against air pollution caused by planes, the PSP arrested 26 people, including 19 women, for committing a crime of disobeying the dispersion order. of public meeting. At the time, the actions forced traffic to be cut off at Rotunda do Relógio, in Lisbon, with the activists being transported to the Olivais police station.

In view of the high number of detainees, particularly females, more female officers were requested to attend the police station. There, the detainees were subject to a search, having been asked to remove their clothes for verification and to move their upper and lower limbs apart so as to be able to visualize body areas where an object could be hidden. At the time, female activists complained of “different treatment” towards male elements.