In Portugal, border guards beat a Ukrainian to death for lack of a visa

In Portugal, three border guards received prison sentences for inflicting grievous bodily harm on Ukrainian Igor Gomenyuk. Gomenyuk died after being beaten in the airport isolation ward, but the court did not find the border guards guilty of murder, writes Air force.

Photo: Shutterstock

In March 2020, 40-year-old Igor Gomenyuk was detained at the Lisbon airport due to the fact that he did not have a work visa, and he refused to take a return flight to Ukraine.

In the detention center, the border guards began to beat Gomenyuk with truncheons and feet, after which they left him on the floor of the cell with his hands shackled behind his back and his legs tied. Two days later, he suffocated from a broken rib.

The three border guards who beat him were sentenced to terms ranging from 7 to 9 years for causing grievous bodily harm, with an increase in terms due to the death of the victim. However, they were not found guilty under the murder article, about which the representatives of the investigation spoke.

Gomenyuk's death caused a stir. As a result, the head of the border service, Cristina Gatoins, resigned, and the government announced the dissolution of the border service and the creation in its place of another - the Service for Work with Foreigners and Asylum Seekers.

On the subject: Broken skull and broken bones: a 14-year-old Ukrainian was severely beaten in Paris

"The desire to cause pain"

Photographs taken during the autopsy shown in court showed Gomenyuk's body covered with numerous dark bruises from his face to his ankles, and deep marks from handcuffs on his arms.

During the trial, prosecutors dropped murder charges because the prosecution could not prove that the goal of the beatings was the death of Gomenyuk. However, the judge accepted that their goal was to “beat, cause pain and suffering” to the victim.

“The death of Igor Gomeniuk was a direct consequence of the behavior of the defendants, whose duty it was to behave differently,” reads the verdict of Judge Rui Coelho.

Resonance

The actions of border guards after the death of Gomenyuk were condemned by human rights activists and politicians, calling for reforms.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa called the murder unforgivable. Gomenyuk's family was paid $ 850 in compensation.

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The lawyer representing the Gomenyuk family called the verdict fair.

“This will be an example for all border guards who do their difficult work every day, but who should not abuse their power,” he said.

The convicts' lawyers said they would appeal.

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