Follow RT on Human rights groups and Brazilian opposition politicians have denounced one of the deadliest police raids at a Rio de Janeiro favela, which saw 25 killed. They have demanded an investigation into possible extrajudicial killings.
Thursday’s raid on the Jacarezinho community in northern Rio left 25 dead, including a drug squad officer who was shot in the head. The slums, also known as favelas, are notorious for rampant crime and violence. The raid was the deadliest police operation in a Rio favela since 2005.
Although police said they had only targeted dangerous criminals who attacked the officers first, the high death toll from the operation quickly drew suspicion and criticism from locals, human rights groups, and opposition politicians.
BBC News
By Hugo Bachega
media captionAerial footage shows suspects of a wanted drug gang trying to escape police
The United Nations human rights office has strongly criticised a police raid against suspected drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro, amid allegations of abuse and extrajudicial executions.
The deadliest police operation in the city s history has left 25 dead, including a police officer.
Residents say police killed suspects who wanted to surrender and entered homes without a warrant.
Police have denied any wrongdoing, saying officers acted in self-defence.
Rio de Janeiro is one of Brazil s most violent cities, and vast areas are under the control of criminals, many of them linked to powerful drug-trafficking gangs. Security forces are often accused of disproportionate force during their anti-crime operations.
One officer killed during the battle which turned the Jacarezinho slum into a warzone on Thursday morning
Automatic rifles, armoured cars and helicopters were deployed by the police against thugs armed to the teeth
United Nations said it was deeply concerned today amid reports that cops carried out extra judicial killings
President Bolsonaro s son, a city councillor, expressed condolences to the family of the officer slain in the carnage, skipping mention of the 24 dead crooks
Deadly police shootout prompts claims of abuse in Brazil
DAVID BILLER and MARCELO SILVA DE SOUSA, Associated Press
May 7, 2021
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1of24The relative of a victim shouts against the police during a protest one day after a deadly police operation in the Jacarezinho favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, May 7, 2021. A bloody, hours-long gunbattle here echoed into Friday, with authorities saying the police mission killed two dozen criminals while residents and activists claimed human rights abuses.Silvia Izquierdo/APShow MoreShow Less
2of24Blood covers the floor of a home during a police operation targeting drug traffickers in the Jacarezinho favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, May 6, 2021. At least 25 people died including one police officer and 24 suspects, according to the press office of Rio s civil police.Silvia Izquierdo/APShow MoreShow Less
More than 100 heavily armed Brazilian police officers stormed a sprawling Rio de Janeiro favela Thursday and killed at least two dozen people, a raid that human rights activists, researchers, and journalists described as the deadliest such police atrocity in the city’s history.
The hourslong operation, purportedly aimed at drug traffickers in the poverty-stricken Jacarezinho favela, ultimately left 25 people dead, including one police officer. Horrific video footage and images posted to social media in the wake of the raid which was carried out despite a court order against such incursions during the Covid-19 pandemic show favela residents surveying rooms, hallways, and alleys streaked with blood.