Couple convicted of torture in Ribeirão Preto rehabilitation clinic arrested in Portugal

Couple convicted of torture in a rehabilitation clinic in SP is arrested in Portugal Lawyer Marluci Cabrera Bellini Henares, aged 49, and her ex-husband Djalma Antônio Henares Júnior, aged 56, were arrested in Portugal after being convicted of torture against inmates of a rehabilitation clinic they maintained in Ribeirão Preto (SP) 12 years ago. The arrests took place in July, about a month after the case became final, that is, it was being processed at all levels without the possibility of new appeals in Brazil. As a result, they were considered fugitives and entered Interpol's wanted list. When asked to comment on the arrests and conviction, the defendants' defense said it would not comment. ? Be part of the g1 Ribeirão e Franca channel on WhatsApp The Public Ministry confirmed that it had requested the extradition of the defendants so that they could serve their sentence in Brazil. "They do not have the possibility of starting to serve this sentence in an open or semi-open regime. It is obligatorily closed and therefore they must serve at least two thirds of the sentence to later progress to the semi-open regime", explained prosecutor Aroldo Costa Filho. Djalma Antonio Henanes Junior, arrested in Portugal after being convicted of torture in a rehabilitation clinic in Brazil. Reproduction/EPTV Torture in rehabilitation clinic Investigations into the clinic in Recreio das Acácias date back to August 2014, when the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Civil Police carried out search and seizure warrants at the location. At the time, inmates reported sessions of beatings with pieces of wood, physical attacks and humiliating punishments. One of the patients reported that he was forced to dig his own hole, where he remained buried up to his waist, and forced to walk naked in front of other colleagues as a form of "discipline". During the operation in 2014, authorities seized ropes and sticks used in the mistreatment. Investigations at a rehabilitation clinic in 2014 reported for torture in Ribeirão Preto (SP). AcervoEP READ ALSO Police arrest clinic employees suspected of torture in Ribeirão Preto 'Coming out of hell', says patient who claims to have been tortured in clinic MP executes warrants in clinic for addicts suspected of torture The judicial process lasted for 12 years until the confirmation of the sentences by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), with a sentence of 17 years and six months in prison. According to Costa Filho, who has worked on the case since the beginning, 24 former inmates were heard who reported physical attacks, the use of wood and sexual violence. “The population sometimes believes that punishment will not come, but this process is an example that justice, despite taking a while, was served and now they will serve the sentence for the serious crimes they committed,” said the prosecutor. As the conviction is for a heinous crime, the sentence must be served in a closed regime. Marluci Cabrera, convicted of torture in a rehabilitation clinic in Brazil Reproduction/EPTV Outlaws in Portugal Marluci and Djalma left Brazil at the beginning of the judicial process, before an arrest warrant was issued, and started to live in Portugal. There, Marluci worked as a zumba teacher in the autonomous region of Azores. With the conclusion of the process in June 2026, the Brazilian court issued the arrest warrants. As the couple was already abroad, their names were included in the Interpol Red Diffusion, the international wanted list. The arrests were made by the Portuguese police in July 2026. Djalma Antônio Henares Júnior was arrested on July 9, while Marluci Cabrera Bellini Henares was arrested on July 17. After the arrests, the Public Ministry of Ribeirão Preto requested their extradition so that they could be transferred to the Brazilian prison system. According to prosecutor Aroldo Costa Filho, prison time in Portugal already counts towards serving the total sentence. The extradition process follows diplomatic and legal procedures between the two countries. Rehabilitation clinic in Ribeirão Preto denounced in 2014 for torture against patients. AcervoEP See more news from the region on g1 Ribeirão Preto e Franca