Brazil: Amnesty Condemns Rio Police Massacre As Evidence Of Systemic, Racist Violence

By News Americas Staff Writer

News Americas, RIO DE JANEIRO, Fri. Nov. 7, 2025: Amnesty International has condemned what it calls a “massacre” in Rio de Janeiro, after a record-breaking police operation left at least 121 people dead in the favelas of Alemão and Penha on October 28th. The rights group has called for an independent, impartial, and internationally supervised investigation into what it describes as “state-sanctioned violence” targeting Brazil’s Black and poor communities.

People take part in a demonstration against the police operation in Rio de Janeiro and in protest against Governor Claudio Castro in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 31, 2025. The demonstration follows a police raid in Rio de Janeiro that leaves more than 60 people dead, sparking nationwide outrage and calls for Governor Castro’s resignation. (Photo by Cris Faga/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The deadly raid, dubbed “Operation Containment,” involved more than 2,500 civil and military police officers and marks the deadliest police operation in the state’s history. Witnesses reported police firing from helicopters, conducting home raids without warrants, and preventing emergency assistance to the injured.

“What took place in Rio de Janeiro was not a security operation – it was a massacre,” said Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas director. “Over a hundred people, most of them Black and living in poverty, were killed in an operation planned and carried out by the state itself. The authorities must urgently conduct a prompt, independent, and impartial investigation, with international oversight to ensure its effectiveness.”

Extrajudicial Killings Alleged

Local human rights groups and favela residents have accused Rio’s security forces of extrajudicial executions, reporting victims with gunshots to the back of the head or bound hands – patterns consistent with summary killings.
Under international human rights law, lethal force can only be used when strictly necessary to protect life. However, Amnesty notes that the Rio government’s rhetoric and actions reflect a “policy of death” rather than public safety.

Governor Cláudio Castro defended the operation, insisting that “only police officers were victims” and that the state has the right to “exceed its powers” in the so-called “war on crime.” Amnesty and other organizations say this language legitimizes unlawful police violence and fosters impunity for human rights violations.

“People in the favelas live under a constant state of alert and threat,” said Jurema Werneck, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil. “Police operations in Brazil have become synonymous with terror, racism, and a total lack of protection. There is no possible justification for this level of lethal force. The security forces must protect lives, not destroy them.”

A Deadly Pattern Of State Violence

The Alemão and Penha massacre is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern. The administration of Governor Castro has overseen four of the five deadliest police operations in Rio’s history, including those in Jacarezinho (2021) and Vila Cruzeiro (2022)—both condemned by the United Nations, (UN) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, (IACHR).

Despite these warnings, Brazil’s federal and state governments continue to employ militarized anti-drug tactics that disproportionately target poor, Afro-Brazilian communities under the guise of crime control.

Amnesty reports that relatives and neighbors of the victims have been criminalized for retrieving bodies to ensure dignified burials. “Such actions reveal the depth of structural racism and impunity,” the organization said, calling on Brazilian authorities to protect survivors and human rights defenders who are now being harassed for demanding justice.

Calls For International Oversight

Amnesty International has urged Brazil to invite international experts to participate in an oversight commission to verify evidence, ensure accountability, and monitor compliance with international standards, including the Minnesota Protocol on investigating extrajudicial killings.

The group also demanded psychosocial and financial support for victims’ families and a transparent process that allows them to formally participate in the investigation.

“Silence and impunity are complicit in violence,” said Ana Piquer. “Until the state assumes its responsibility and guarantees truth, justice, and reparation, this cycle of abuse will continue, disproportionately affecting Black, mixed-race, and marginalized communities in Brazil.”
The massacre, which many Brazilians have described as a “mass killing under the color of law,” has reignited debate about racism in Brazil’s public security system, the militarization of policing, and the failure of successive governments to reform law enforcement.

For now, the images from Alemão and Penha – burned homes, grieving families, and bodies wrapped in tarps – serve as yet another grim reminder of how far Brazil remains from fulfilling the promise of “public security with human rights.”