Supreme Court clears Lusofona and Dux in death of six students in Meco

According to a released statement, the Supreme Court (STJ) this Friday cleared Lusophone University and Duke of charges in the deaths of six students in Meco.

“The Supreme Court rejected the appeal brought by the parents of these students because it considered that the little that could be established about what happened that night in Praia do Moinho de Baixo was not enough to detain the defendants. is responsible for the deaths of these young people,” the statement said.

Thus, the families of the victims lost a civil suit in which they demanded 1.3 million euros from the university and the Duke.

The court explains that “from the trip to this beach and from the fact that it was possible to find out what happened there, all that follows is that this group of young people, as part of a joint group action, decided to go to the beach on the night of December 14.” to the 15th place and sat down in a place which, although it was dry sand, was subject to the blows of the waves.”

“It has not been proven that Dux played an influential role or contributed to this act of endangerment, his behavior was the same as that of other young people, and it has not been proven that they were not capable of making decisions for themselves and therefore responsibly,” it continues.

It also “has not been proven” that “the relationship between “Dux” and the other youths was one of dominance.”

Regarding the Universidade Lusófona, STJ states that the existence of such practices, despite the fact that they contribute to the integration of students into academic life, is “a risk factor for the safety and freedom of students, being a source of violation of the rights of students.”

However, regarding the routine conduct that led to the death of the six youths, the Supreme Court said it was not proven that Lusofona University “did not engage in the above conduct to raise awareness among students of the need to engage in practices that respect their rights.” .

He adds that “since it was impossible to link any possible failure to carry out these awareness-raising actions with the tragic outcome that occurred on the night of 14 to 15 December in Praia do Moinho de Baixo, in Meco, the Supreme Court of the Ministry of Justice came to I conclude that it is also impossible to detain the university for what happened.”

Information originally provided by Jornal Público.

In a conversation with the Lusa agency, lawyer Vitor Parente Ribeiro said that he would file a complaint against the Portuguese state with the European Court of Human Rights.

“Unfortunately, the Portuguese courts do not protect the right to life, we will file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. We have the power of the judge, the STJ rapporteur, who has declared that he will condemn João Gouveia. and the university,” he said.