This position was conveyed to journalists by PCP deputy António Filipe, in the Assembly of the Republic, regarding the manifesto in which 50 personalities call for "a civic shock that leads political leaders to assume their responsibilities and to elect the reform of justice as an unequivocal priority in the defense of the democratic rule of law".

The document is signed, among others, by the former presidents of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva, Ferro Rodrigues and Mota Amaral, by the former president of the PSD, Rui Rio, and by former ministers such as Leonor Beleza, David Justino, Fernando Negrão, António Vitorino, José António Vieira da Silva, António Barreto, Correia de Campos, Alberto Costa and Pinto Ribeiro.

Without naming anyone, António Filipe began by stating that some of the signatories of this manifesto "had great responsibilities in the governance of the country and namely in the area of justice" and "at that time did not put into practice what they now demand", but added that, "in any case, these are opinions that should be considered".

"The PCP will not exempt itself from the reflection that is necessary to do on the functioning of justice, since for us there are fundamental principles that should not be violated, should not be harmed, namely the independence of the judiciary, the autonomy of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the respect for the fundamental rights of citizens. All constitutionally enshrined principles", he said.

For the PCP, "within these limits, it obviously makes sense to have a reflection on the functioning of justice, on improvements to be introduced in the functioning of justice in order to eliminate the main bottlenecks that affect this sector".

Regarding the manifesto "For a reform of justice", the deputy considered that it "addresses a very vast set of aspects" and constitutes "a contribution to a debate that is necessary" in Portuguese society, which in the Assembly of the Republic "will naturally depend on the initiatives of the Government and the parliamentary groups".

Emphasizing that "even in this legislature there are already PCP initiatives on this sector", António Filipe assured that his party "will participate in this debate" in the Assembly of the Republic, with contributions "regarding each specific point".

The PCP deputy expressed concern about "the slowness of justice" and "the way in which the functioning of justice at times can be harmful to the fundamental rights of citizens", he admitted that the functioning of justice can improve and that "eventually the legislator may have an important role there".

António Filipe said that "the question of whether there will be any initiative that harms the autonomy of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the independence of the judiciary, any interference in the functioning of justice is something that will have to be avoided in the right place, which is the Assembly of the Republic".

"And we will naturally be here to preserve those values that are essential to the democratic rule of law and obviously not allow, in what depends on us, that there is any possibility of political power interfering in the functioning of justice", he reinforced.

Read Also: Manifesto for reform in Justice "is perversity of the political system" (Portuguese version)