According to our calculations, the death toll is 132 people, Rio state services responsible for legal support for the poorest told AFP.
Reuters reported that hundreds of people gathered on the main road leading to the favela, where on Tuesday police carried out an operation targeting a gang known as the Red Commando (Comando Vermelho).
Photos of the bodies of criminals neutralized by the police appeared in the media. AFP notes that bodies left on the street are starting to decompose. People mourn the victims and accuse the services of carrying out the executions.
The New York Times describes it as the bloodiest police action in the history of this region. The governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Claudio Castro, previously declared the operation a success. He stated that approximately 60 people died in this police action – 54 criminals and four officers.
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Who were the victims of this police operation?
Who performed the operation in Rio de Janeiro?
What did the president of Brazil say about the effects of the operation?
How many people were detained during this operation?
Earlier, the media reported that 64 people died in the operation, which made it the most tragic in the history of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The operation focused on favelas (slum areas) in the northern part of Rio, close to the international airport.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was “shocked” by the effects of the police action and – according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice in Brasilia – expressed surprise that “an operation on such a large scale was carried out without the knowledge of the federal government.”
Police action in Brazil. There is a UN reaction
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) said it was “appalled by the ongoing police operation in Rio de Janeiro's favelas.”
“This deadly operation deepens the trend of extremely lethal consequences of police operations in marginalized communities in Brazil,” reads a message on the X platform.
Brazilian police raided favelas in Rio de Janeiro
The Red Commando is an organized criminal group operating since the 1970s, involved in drug and weapons trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and extortion. About 2,500 people took part in Tuesday's operation. police and soldiers who detained 81 suspects, Castro said.
Police in Rio often carried out large operations against organized crime ahead of major events such as the 2016 Olympics, Reuters noted. Currently, the Brazilian city is preparing for the global C40 summit, where city mayors will meet next week to discuss climate change.
