After Brazil’s Deadliest Police Raid, STF Orders Evidence Preserved as UN Urges Independent Inquiry

Overview

• Official figures list 121 dead, including 4 police officers, 113 arrests, and the seizure of 93 rifles among roughly 120 weapons, with a police‑estimated R$12.8 million loss to the Comando Vermelho.
• STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered rigorous preservation and full documentation of all evidence, guaranteed access for public defenders, and set a multi‑party oversight hearing for Nov. 5 under the ADPF 635 framework.
• UN experts called for an immediate, independent investigation, citing reports of possible unlawful killings, home invasions without warrants, and risks of reprisals, and urged protection of witnesses and strict chain‑of‑custody for evidence.
• Polling after the raid shows broad approval of the operation (64% in Genial/Quaest) and a jump in Governor Cláudio Castro’s approval to 53%, though many residents report feeling less safe and fear retaliation from traffickers.
• Authorities say the operation exposed interstate reach: about 40% of detainees and 39 of the 117 civilians classified as suspects who died were from other states, reinforcing claims that Penha and Alemão functioned as a national CV hub.