The tragic and strangely incomplete story surrounding the deaths of six university students on Meco beach in December 2013 has seen bereaved parents ‘fight for compensation’ all the way to Portugal’s highest court (the Supreme Tribunal of Justice), and still come out empty-handed. They are not giving up. Their lawyer Vítor Parente Ribeiro said his clients will now be presenting a complaint against the Portuguese State to the European Court of Human Rights. His reasoning: “The Portuguese courts do not defend the right to life”. The parents filed for €1.3 million in compensation for the deaths of their children, ‘blaming’ the only survivor of the fateful night, João Gouveia, and the Lusófona University (for not having done enough in their duty to care). Parente Ribeiro told reporters: “We have the strength of the fact that the judge counsellor who reported to the Supreme Court argued that she would condemn João Gouveia and the University…”
Supreme Court rejects appeal for compensation from parents of Meco six
