Brazil’s Deadliest Police Operation Leaves 121 Dead as STF Seeks Answers and Federal Experts Join Probe

Overview

• Rio authorities say 117 suspected gang members and 4 police officers were killed on October 28, with 99 of the dead identified so far, including 42 with open arrest warrants and at least 78 with significant criminal histories; 113 people were arrested and the CV leader known as Doca remains at large.
• Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski dispatched 20 Federal Police forensic specialists, announced an emergency coordination office, and said a broad PF inquiry into criminal factions will be opened to support ongoing state investigations.
• Within the ADPF 635 case, PSB petitioned the Supreme Court to shift or share the investigation with federal bodies, and PT, PSOL and PCdoB asked for immediate family access to bodies and authorization for independent experts; relator Alexandre de Moraes requested formal information from Governor Cláudio Castro.
• Civil Police chief Felipe Curi defended the raid as a blow to the Comando Vermelho and linked many suspects to other states, while criticizing ADPF-imposed limits on operations that he says strengthened the faction’s presence in Rio’s major complexes.
• Rights groups and parties cite indications of executions and torture and seek strict forensic protocols at the IML, and monitoring of online discussions shows the public conversation has centered on the human toll more than on partisan blame.