UN experts on Friday called for a swift and effective investigation into the deadliest police operation in Brazil’s history, after a raid in a Rio de Janeiro favela last week killed at least 120 people. The statement warned that the incident is part of a “disturbing pattern” of excessive force.
The experts pleaded with the Brazilian authorities to immediately withdraw from any ongoing operations resulting in the excessive use of force, provide round-the-clock protection to witnesses, relatives, and community members from reprisals, preserve available evidence and record possible violations, guarantee independent forensic examinations that adhere to international human rights safeguards, and use appropriate, internationally-proscribed standards on the use of force.
Also known as “Operação Contenção,” the operation was formed with the target of eradicating gang activities and crippling drug-trafficking syndicates that authorities contend aim to expand their influence across the country. The experts said that the sheer scale of fatalities stemming from the operation in the Alemão and Penha complexes, however, disproportionately affected a majority of its residents who are of African descent, leading to a model of racialized brutal police violence. Residents reported having their homes raided without warrants and being targeted with the use of helicopters and drones to fire projectiles. Victims had their hands tied or gunshot wounds to the back of the head, sparking concerns of summary executions.
These reports, along with the high death toll, have raised serious allegations of extrajudicial killings, which are prohibited under Article 5 of the Brazilian Constitution. Additionally, rights advocates have expressed concern over threats made by state authorities against relatives of the victims, residents, and rights activists engaged in recovering the bodies. The police incident is only the latest of Brazil’s security policies that are routinely criticized for endorsing excessive use of force against civilians. In a recently published report, the UN found that communities of African descent in Brazil are often prejudicially viewed as criminals by the police, directly contributing to the overwhelming concentration of efforts in these areas.
2024 figures show alleged police involvement in 703 deaths, 86 percent of which were of people of African descent. Rights advocates urge that the dangers of organized crime cannot be used to justify a pattern of police violence that systematically dehumanizes victims, recasting them as collateral damage.
Instances of racial profiling in these raids, which kill over 6000 people annually and are conducted under the claim of preserving public order, are especially worrying among rights advocates. Critics of the policies claim the numerous selective identity checks, arrests, and stop-and-searches deeply entrench stereotypes and power structures reminiscent of those during the colonial era.
Police violence is prohibited under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 16 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), respectively.
