Fernando Pessoa University was present at the XV International Meeting of the National Council of Research and Postgraduate Studies in Law – CONPEDI, held from 27 to 29 May in Spain. With the theme “Criminal Policy and Human Rights: limits for crime control and the violation of Human Rights”, the research presented by Prof. Dr. Debora Pereira in Alicante aimed to discuss the concept and elements of criminal policy, based on the observation of Portuguese reality and some countries that, all indications suggest, violate human rights.

The investigation highlights, above all, the fact that many countries with high crime rates continue to advocate for a repressive policy, leaning towards populist rhetoric. In parallel, the investigation, sent to the working group on Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminology, also analyses, in a summary fashion, the cases of the Philippines and El Salvador, and the possible trial of the former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, by the International Criminal Court, for crimes against humanity.

The participation of Fernando Pessoa University in the XV CONPEDI International Meeting reinforces the attention of its researchers towards crime prevention rather than the use of repressive policies which, despite yielding short-term results, do not constitute effective measures for combating criminality.