• Source:JND
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Brazil is reeling from what has become the deadliest police operation in its history, after a massive raid targeting the Red Command gang in Rio de Janeiro left 132 people dead. Shocking images and videos showing bodies lined up on streets and sidewalks have triggered national outrage. The raid unfolded in the Penha favela complex on Tuesday, where police claimed gang members engaged security forces using drones, heavy weapons, and even buses as barricades.

While authorities initially reported 58 deaths, Rio state Governor Claudio Castro acknowledged that the count was “certain to change” as forensic teams worked through the aftermath. By Wednesday, the death toll had more than doubled, with residents retrieving bodies from nearby hillsides where much of the gunfire occurred.

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Government Shock And International Outcry

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed shock at the reported numbers, with federal officials stating the government was not briefed ahead of the operation. The United Nations Human Rights Office said it was “horrified” at the scale of the violence and called for an urgent, independent investigation. 

Early Wednesday, mourners gathered in Penha, placing dozens of bodies along the pavement in a haunting display meant to highlight what residents described as excessive force. Witnesses and activists reported execution-style killings, with some victims allegedly tied up or “shot in the back.”

“This cannot be considered public safety,” activist Raul Santiago told AFP, citing accounts of summary executions. Lawyer Albino Pereira Neto alleged that several victims were murdered “in cold blood.”

For grieving families, the pain is immediate. “I just want to take my son and bury him,” said Taua Brito, searching desperately among the dead.

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Governor Castro defended the raid, arguing that those killed were criminals because “the conflict wasn’t in a built-up area… I don’t believe anyone was just strolling in the woods on a day of conflict.” Residents rejected that narrative, accusing police of arriving “directly to kill.”

 

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