Protests erupt after Brazil police raid leaves 119 dead amid allegations of excessive force

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A large-scale police operation targeting a drug gang in Rio de Janeiro’s low-income neighborhoods has left at least 119 people dead, sparking protests, accusations of excessive force, and calls for the state governor’s resignation.

Dozens of residents from several favelas gathered outside the state government headquarters on Wednesday, shouting “assassins” and waving Brazilian flags stained with red paint, a day after Rio’s deadliest police raid. Hours earlier, grieving families had placed dozens of bodies on a street in one of the affected communities to highlight the scale of the tragedy.

Authorities confirmed that 115 suspected gang members and four police officers were killed in the raid, which involved around 2,500 police and soldiers in the Penha and Complexo do Alemão favelas. The toll was almost double the initial figure of 60 suspects reported on Tuesday.

Felipe Curi, Rio state’s police secretary, said additional bodies were found in a nearby wooded area, claiming that some suspects had been wearing camouflage and carrying weapons. He added that residents removed clothing and gear from the bodies, which will be investigated as evidence tampering.

Residents and witnesses described scenes of horror. Many bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head or back, while others appeared disfigured or stabbed. “We saw people executed—shot in the head, tied up. It was a massacre,” said local activist Raull Santiago.

In Penha, residents displayed the bodies in a public square before forensic teams arrived, chanting “massacre” and “justice.” One resident, Elisangela Silva Santos, said, “They could have taken them to jail. Why kill them like this? Yes, they were traffickers, but they were human.”

Authorities said 113 suspects had been arrested, and security forces seized about 90 rifles and over a ton of drugs. Police and soldiers launched the raid using helicopters, armored vehicles, and foot patrols, targeting the powerful Red Command gang. The operation triggered heavy gunfire and chaos across the city, forcing schools to close, halting public transport, and blocking roads with hijacked buses.

Brazil’s Supreme Court, prosecutors, and lawmakers demanded detailed explanations from Rio’s Governor Claudio Castro about the raid. Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court ordered Castro to appear at a hearing on Monday alongside the heads of the civil and military police.

The UN human rights office and several NGOs condemned the high death toll and urged an independent investigation. “Brazil must break this cycle of extreme brutality and ensure law enforcement operations comply with international standards,” said UN spokesperson Marta Hurtado.

Governor Castro, a member of the conservative Liberal Party, defended the raid, calling it a “success” despite the loss of four police officers. He described the state as being at war with “narco-terrorism,” echoing language used by the Trump administration in past anti-drug campaigns.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responded late Wednesday, saying he had ordered the justice minister and federal police chief to meet with Castro. “Brazil cannot accept that organized crime continues to destroy families and spread violence across cities,” he said.

However, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski questioned the methods used. “We must reflect on whether such actions are compatible with the democratic rule of law,” he said.

Experts warned that the operation’s scale and violence would likely do little to weaken Rio’s entrenched drug networks. “Killing over 100 people won’t stop the Red Command. The dead will soon be replaced,” said Roberto Uchôa of the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety.

The raid marks the deadliest police operation in Rio’s history, surpassing previous crackdowns in 2005 and 2021, and has reignited debate over Brazil’s long-standing cycle of violence, impunity, and militarized policing.