A Portuguese support association for prisoners (APAR) has blamed the death of a 50-year old inmate in the Carregueira prison on a lack of proper medical assistance due to the alleged negligence of a prison guard.
The general-directorate of prison services (DGRSP) said the death was due to “natural causes” and that an internal investigation has been launched.
In a press release, APAR said that the prisoner, who was sharing a cell with three other people, felt a strong pain in his chest at around 2am and alerted the guards.
The association claims that the officer on duty told the convict to wait until 8am because the prison did not have doctors or nurses working during the night. The INEM emergency services were only called hours later when the inmate suffered cardiac arrest. Attempts to revive the victim were unsuccessful.
The general-directorate revealed that it is awaiting the results of the autopsy and its investigation to make further comments.
