In addition to the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), the PSP and the Ombudsman's Office, the International Organization for Migration and the Médecins du Monde organization also signed today a "declaration of commitment to defending the human rights of foreign citizens and asylum seekers in detention centers in Portugal".

The declaration has no legal binding, but the five entities have committed to six objectives, starting with "improving the detention conditions of the Temporary Installation Centers (CIT) and Equivalent Spaces (EECIT)", making "these spaces more humane".

Speaking to Lusa at the end of the signing of the declaration of commitment, which took place at the Museu do Oriente, in Lisbon, the director-general of JRS said he believes that the commitment will improve the conditions of the various temporary detention centers, pointing out that this has been happening since the PSP took over the police functions of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).

"The signing of this joint declaration is a sign that we want to look at migration as a wealth, as a great good that happens to societies, but that we need to work to mitigate situations of injustice", defended André Costa Jorge.

The national director of the PSP highlighted the work "centered on people and for people, specifically on migrant citizens".

"The challenges posed in the context of migration are diverse and require comprehensive actions. In all areas of police action, the fundamental rights of citizens are the cornerstone of the police service and this is our daily commitment, to protect and respect the fundamental rights of citizens", said Superintendent-in-Chief José Barros Correia.

The coordinator of the National Prevention Mechanism, under the authority of the Ombudsman, told Lusa that the body visited the EECIT in Lisbon, at the airport, at the end of 2023 and already in 2024, and that they did not find again the situation that caused the most apprehension last year, which had to do with asylum seekers sleeping in the international area of the airport.

"I think that this commitment (...) comes to strengthen and give new impetus to this collaboration that already exists", defended Miguel Feldmann, for whom the improvement of conditions at the EECIT in Lisbon had to do with "learning on the ground of the PSP, which has made every effort to accept the recommendations" of the mechanism.

The signing of the declaration is the final stretch of the "Monitoring Detention" project, an initiative of JRS Europe that compared the detention conditions in 14 European countries, including Portugal.

The coordinator of the JRS advocacy office told Lusa that the CIT in Porto, also known as the Santo António Housing Unit, was pointed out as an example of good practice, since it is "the only one" in which JRS has a permanent presence.

Carmo Belford added that a second report also came out of the project, with recommendations in the legal field, such as mandatory training for lawyers in human rights and migration issues or the revision of the measure of coercion of placement in CIT every eight days.

"The ultimate goal of this entire project is to prove that detention is unnecessary and that less serious measures that do not deprive people of their freedom can be promoted", said the official.

The joint declaration also includes that the various entities respect the human dignity, life and integrity of detained foreign citizens, combat the criminalization of irregular migration, promote the human rights of detained foreign citizens, ensure adequate training for employees working in detention centers and collaborate in promoting alternatives to detention.

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