Rio Judge Acquits Defendants in Ninho do Urubu Fire Case

Overview

• Judge Tiago Fernandes de Barros of the 36th Criminal Court issued the decision on October 21, 2025, in a ruling that is subject to appeal.
• The court cleared the seven remaining defendants after earlier procedural outcomes, including dismissed counts and a 2021 prescription for then-president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello.
• The judge found no secure causal link between individual conduct and ignition, deemed the forensic evidence inconclusive, and noted that none of the accused had direct responsibility for electrical safety or maintenance.
• Prosecutors had charged 11 people with qualified involuntary manslaughter and serious bodily injury and sought convictions for those they maintained in the case.
• The 2019 blaze killed ten youth players and injured three as they slept in temporary container housing, with investigators pointing to a likely air-conditioner short circuit and city records noting the facility lacked an operating permit.