A Portuguese court has sentenced a 76-year-old man to more than 22 years in prison for the racist murder of black actor Bruno Candé.
ADVERTISEMENTAn elderly Portuguese man has been convicted of the racist murder of a black actor in Lisbon last year.
Evaristo Marinho was found guilty of killing 39-year-old Bruno Candé by shooting him six times after an altercation that included racist comments in July 2020.
The court in Loures -- a municipality in the northern suburbs of the Portuguese capital -- convicted Marinho, 76, of homicide aggravated by racial hatred.
He was sentenced to 22 years and nine months in prison, according to Portuguese media. Marinho had confessed to the murder at the trial.
The court heard how his racist thoughts had been motivated from when the veteran served during Portugal's colonial war in Angola between 1963 and 1974.
Candé was born in Portugal to a family from Guinea-Bissau, another former African colony of the Iberian country.
The case has highlighted racism in Portugal and led to allegations that police had tried to cover up the motive for the murder.
Soon after the killing, hundreds of anti-racism protesters descended on one of Lisbon’s main squares to demand justice for Candé and all other victims of racism.
"Bruno Candé lost his life and left his family and friends," tweeted Portuguese lawmaker Joacine Katar Moreira.
"This murder has hit us all. 22 years is the minimum to placate the pain and revolt we feel."
On Monday, the United Nations human rights chief urged countries to do more to end discrimination, violence, and systemic racism against people of African descent.
In the landmark report, Michelle Bachelet told nations to "make amends" with those who suffer racism, including through reparations.