The State of the World's Human Rights; Portugal 2025

Investigations revealed new evidence of ill-treatment in prisons. Prosecutors pursued cases of alleged unlawful killings of racialized people by police. Authorities continued to place unlawful limitations on peaceful assemblies. Hate crimes were reportedly on the rise. Gender-based violence remained high and legal safeguards were insufficient. Access to abortion remained inadequate.

Background

In May, the centre-right government coalition was re-elected. Chega, a party known for its anti-immigrant and anti-Roma rhetoric and positions, won 60 parliamentary seats, becoming the country’s largest opposition party.

Torture and other ill-treatment

In July, an Ombudsman’s report revealed evidence of ill-treatment in three out of 10 prisons visited during 2024.

Prosecutors investigated allegations that, in May, two people in prison in the Azores had been subjected to ill-treatment.

In October, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture expressed concern about persistent systemic failures in criminal investigations of torture allegations. It also noted the over-representation of foreign nationals in cases of ill-treatment.

Unlawful killings

In July, two police officers were charged with “aggravated kidnapping” and “aggravated homicide”, in connection with an attack against two Moroccan immigrants in Olhão, Algarve region, in March 2024. Both victims had been handcuffed at the time of the assault. One died as a result of his injuries. The police officers were suspended pending trial.

In October, in Sintra, near the capital, Lisbon, the trial began of a police officer charged with the 2024 homicide of a Black chef, Odair Moniz, in the neighbourhood of Cova da Moura, following a police chase. A second investigation was opened against two police officers for giving false testimonies on the case.

Freedom of peaceful assembly

Activists reported being charged for failing to comply with mandatory notification requirements prior to holding demonstrations. The government took no action to review the decades-old legislation regulating freedom of peaceful assembly, which breached international standards.

In June, following several appeals, a court confirmed the conviction of activist Francisco Pedro on charges of “qualified disobedience” and fined him EUR 300 for failing to notify the authorities about a peaceful protest against the construction of a new airport in Lisbon in 2019.

Discrimination

In June, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) expressed concern about gaps in the legal framework to combat hate crimes and insufficient prosecutions, leading to a perception of impunity. Data obtained in July from the Attorney General’s Office showed that only 19 of 1,020 investigations into alleged hate-related crimes between 2019 and 2024 had resulted in indictments.

In October, parliament began discussing a bill to restrict the use of face coverings in public places, which risked violating the rights to freedom of expression, religion, peaceful assembly and privacy.

Violence against women and girls

In May, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) identified a number of barriers to protection for victims. These included lenient sanctions and ineffective restraining orders.

In July, parliament reclassified rape as a public crime, allowing authorities to investigate cases even where victims had not filed a complaint or reported the case to the police.

Sexual and reproductive rights

Access to abortion remained unequal across the country. Large numbers of medical professionals refused to provide the procedure on conscience grounds, with the gravest restrictions experienced by people in the Azores islands and the Alentejo region. Data released by the Spanish Ministry of Health in July showed that 2,525 people living in Portugal had sought abortion care in Spain between 2019 and 2023, often due to the 10-week legal limit in Portugal.¹

Refugees’ and migrants’ rights

In September, parliament passed legislation restricting family reunification rights for migrants and asylum seekers.

Right to a healthy environment

In July and August, wildfires devastated the north-central region causing four deaths. Portugal had the highest “burned area” percentage (3.02%) of any EU country in 2025.

In August, the Aarhus Convention Committee found that Portugal had violated the right to access to information in a “deliberate and unfounded manner” in its environmental assessment process for the Barroso lithium mine in Boticas, north-eastern Portugal.

Right to housing

In July, at least 50 families were forcibly evicted, with many rendered homeless, following demolitions in neighbourhoods near Lisbon.

In September, the government implemented measures to tackle affordable housing shortages. However, the lowering of taxes for landlords charging rents of up to EUR 2,300 per month led to concerns that this would trigger rent increases up to that limit.

Irresponsible arms transfers

The government acknowledged that at least three F-35 fighter jets, sold to Israel by the USA, were authorized to stop over at the Lajes Air Base in the Azores in April. The stopover facilitated the transfer of arms to Israel in violation of Portugal’s obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and international humanitarian law.

1. An Option Without Choice: Report on Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy in Portugal, June ↩︎