Residents of the Penha Complex, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, experienced a tragic scene this Wednesday (29), as they removed dozens of bodies from a wooded area. The number of dead in the region, after the police operation considered the most violent in the state’s history, reached 136 people. The information is from Agenda do Poder.
According to information released by the Human Rights Commission of the OAB-RJ (Brazilian Bar Association, Rio de Janeiro chapter), at least 72 bodies were found this morning in a wooded area in the Serra da Misericórdia, a location that saw intense clashes the previous night. The bodies were taken to Praça São Lucas, on Estrada João Lucas, one of the main roads in the Penha Complex. Witnesses report that there are still unrecovered victims in areas of the region known as Vacaria, where shootings also occurred.
Activist Raull Santiago, who participated in the rescue of some of the victims, has been using social media to report on the situation. “More tarpaulins have been stretched out to accommodate the bodies that are being found,” he wrote in one of his posts, accompanied by a photo showing the horrific scene.
Among the fatalities are four police officers, and nine other agents were injured during the operation, which targeted members of Comando Vermelho, considered the main criminal faction operating in Rio. The operation, aimed at executing 100 arrest warrants, sought to apprehend criminals linked to drug trafficking, including Edgar Alves de Andrade, known as Doca, identified as one of the group’s leaders.
The repercussions were immediate and provoked reactions in different spheres of public power. The Public Defender’s Office denounced possible abuses and violations of human rights, while the federal government announced the dispatch of a delegation to Rio de Janeiro to assess the public security crisis. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva convened an emergency meeting with the top officials in the area, and the Chamber of Deputies brought forward the analysis of the Constitutional Amendment Proposal on Security.
Governor Cláudio Castro requested that ten leaders of organized crime be sent to maximum-security prisons, a request already granted by Brasília. Internationally, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded a swift and transparent investigation. “We are horrified by the ongoing police operation in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro,” the organization declared on social media.
Human Rights Watch also spoke out, criticizing the security model adopted in the state. “Rio needs a new public security policy that stops encouraging confrontations that victimize residents and police officers,” the NGO stated.
Source: brasil247.com