The most lethal police operation in Brazil’s history resulted in the deaths of at least 132 individuals, as reported by public defenders on Wednesday. This occurred while residents of Rio de Janeiro lined a street with numerous corpses discovered overnight, just one week prior to significant global climate events scheduled in the city.
According to state police, the raids aimed at a prominent drug gang the previous day had been meticulously planned for over two months, with the intention of driving suspects into a forested hillside where a special operations unit was poised in ambush.
Victor Santos, the head of security for Rio state, stated during a news conference, “The heightened lethality of the operation was anticipated but not wished for.” Rio police officials have confirmed 119 fatalities thus far, which includes four police officers.
Santos emphasized that there was no link to the global events that Rio will host next week in relation to the United Nations COP30 climate summit, which includes the C40 global summit of mayors addressing climate change and British Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.
Over the past decade, Rio has hosted numerous global events, such as the 2016 Olympics, the 2024 G20 summit, and the BRICS summit in July, without experiencing violence of the magnitude witnessed on Tuesday.
Prior to Tuesday, the city’s deadliest police raid occurred in 2021, resulting in 28 fatalities in the Jacarezinho neighborhood. In 1992, 111 individuals were killed when Sao Paulo police intervened in the Carandiru Penitentiary to quell a prison uprising.
Residents of the Penha neighborhood in Rio collected dozens of corpses from the nearby forest overnight and arranged more than 70 of the bodies in the center of a main street.
“I simply want to take my son away from here and give him a proper burial,” expressed Taua Brito, a mother mourning one of the deceased, surrounded by grieving mourners and onlookers flanking the lengthy row of bodies, some of which were draped with sheets or bags.
UN calls for immediate inquiry
Numerous civil society organizations and public safety experts have condemned the significant loss of life resulting from the military-style operation. The United Nations Human Rights office indicated that this incident contributes to a disturbing pattern of highly lethal police actions in Brazil’s underprivileged communities.
“We remind the authorities of their responsibilities under international human rights law and call for swift and thorough investigations,” the agency stated in an announcement.
Rio Governor Claudio Castro expressed confidence that those who lost their lives during the operation were criminals who were shooting from the forest.
“I doubt anyone would be wandering in the forest on the day of the conflict,” he remarked to reporters, describing the raids as a measure to tackle “narcoterrorism.”
“The only true victims were the police officers,” he added.
The Rio state government announced that this operation was its largest ever aimed at the Comando Vermelho gang, which dominates the drug trade in various favelas—impoverished and densely populated areas interspersed throughout the city’s hilly coastal landscape.
Authorities reported that they had apprehended 113 suspects during the operation and confiscated 118 firearms.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed surprise upon discovering that Rio police had initiated an “extremely bloody, violent” operation without prior notification or involvement of the federal government, as stated by Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski to the press.
The minister mentioned his intention to meet with Rio’s governor and may consider augmenting the presence of federal security personnel in the area.
Lula, who returned to Brasilia late on Tuesday following a trip to Malaysia, convened with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and cabinet members on Wednesday to deliberate on the situation, according to his office.
