The former inspectors with Portugal’s Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF – Portugal’s immigration agecy) accused of the death of Ihor Homeniuk at Lisbon airport last year have been handed down prison sentences of between seven and nine years.
The Lisbon court ruled Monday, May 10, that the three defendants in the case couldn’t be convicted of qualified homicide, according to RTP, but nonetheless found them guilty of “an offense against qualified serious physical integrity” that resulted in Homeniuk’s death in March 2020 while in detention at the airport.
According to the judge, “it was proved that the defendants beat the Ukrainian citizen” and that “the conduct of the defendants gave rise to the injuries that killed Ihor,” RTP reports.
Duarte Laja and Luís Silva each received a sentence of nine years while Bruno Sousa was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Lawyers for the defendants say they plan to appeal the court’s decision, according to RTP.
Judge Rui Coelho, meanwhile, has also issued a certificate for the investigation of all guards and inspectors involved in the case, from those in leadership to those “who did nothing to assist [Homeniuk],” according to RTP.
