A bloody police operation in a Rio de Janeiro favela resulted in 18 deaths

A police operation in a favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, turned this Thursday into a bloody confrontation between criminals and agents who at least are gone 18 deadas confirmed by the Brazilian authorities at a press conference.

In a first announcement, five victims were reported: a corporal of the Militarized Police, three suspects and a 50-year-old woman living in the area and who, according to her relatives, died inside a car when she received a loss of bullet.

As the hours went by, they reported 13 more suspected dead, bringing the final figure to 18. This is the third deadliest police operation in Rio de Janeiro in less than 14 months.

For its part, the Rio de Janeiro Public Defender’s Office said in a statement that it is following the case closely and that there are indications of “grave human rights violations”.

The action, which took place in the Alemao complex, a depressed conglomerate of favelas, in the north of the city, sought to find members of a gang devoted to bank robberies and car thefts and cargo vehicles.

It involved approx 400 agents supported by four aircraft and 10 armored vehicles which, according to the authorities, “have been hit in several places.

Since the beginning of the afternoon, witnesses to the operation have posted videos and photographs on social networks showing how several bodies wrapped in sheets have been transported by neighbors.

However, until late at night the authorities confirmed that nearly twenty people had died.

The magnitude of the events triggered alarms from the Office of the Public Defender and other human rights organizations that are following the events “with concern”.

According to the Rio de Janeiro Ombudsman, the events that took place this Thursday are similar to those that occurred just over a year ago in Jacarezinho, where a uniformed officer also died in the middle of the operation.

“It is clear that if there are criticisms and complaints about the police action, they will be investigated, but what we are saying is that the criminals are forcing part of the population to cause unrest during the police action,” said Fabrício Oliveira , of the Civil Police. .

Jair Bolsonaro supported the actions of the police

The actions of the men in uniform were applauded by the Rio de Janeiro government and by the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who lamented the death of the police corporal.

In his weekly social media broadcast, Bolsonaro, a retired army captain, also accused the Supreme Court of a ruling restricting police actions in Rio’s favelas during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The more protected they are, the more armed the criminal groups are,” the far-right president denounced.

Clashes between the police and criminal groups contesting the control of drug trafficking are frequent in the poorest areas of Rio de Janeiro, punished with violence.

Data from the Public Safety Yearbook indicate that more than 6,100 people died at the hands of the police in 2021.

With information from EFE.