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Rio’s Deadliest Police Raid Fuels Protests and UN Scrutiny as Formal Reviews Begin

Brazil’s Supreme Court has summoned Rio’s governor for a Monday hearing on the operation’s conduct.

Men carry the bodies of people killed the day before during a police raid targeting the Comando Vermelho gang in the Complexo da Penha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
People protest days after a deadly police operation targeting a drug trafficking gang at the Complexo da Penha favela in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
An official displays seized weapons with gang insignia during a press conference, which the police said were captured during what was the deadliest police operation in Brazil's history, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 29, 2025. REUTERS/Tita Barros
A priest blesses the bodies of people killed the day before during a police raid targeting the Comando Vermelho gang in the Complexo da Penha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Overview

  • Authorities said 121 people, including four police officers, were killed, while the public defender’s office reported 132, with 99 bodies identified so far.
  • State officials defended the raids as a success and said many of those identified had outstanding warrants or prior criminal records.
  • Human Rights Watch reported failures to preserve crime scenes or deploy forensic teams and raised concerns over lost body‑camera footage, as the Justice Ministry sends 20 federal forensic experts.
  • UN experts called for prompt, independent investigations, and prosecutors and lawmakers demanded detailed explanations from Rio state authorities.
  • Hundreds marched in Vila Cruzeiro calling for Governor Cláudio Castro’s resignation, even as a new poll showed majority approval for the operation nationally and in Rio.