Police in Rio de Janeiro did not take crucial investigative measures following a major raid on October 28 that resulted in at least 121 fatalities, including four police officers, according to a report by Human Rights Watch released on Saturday.
The rights organization indicated that authorities did not secure crime scenes for necessary forensic analysis, which is essential for determining the circumstances surrounding the deaths. A forensic expert in Rio stated to Human Rights Watch that no analyses had been conducted on the crime scenes of any of the killings. A state prosecutor corroborated this understanding.
“The families of the individuals killed during the October 28 raid, including those of police officers, deserve to know the circumstances surrounding their loved ones’ deaths,” said César Muñoz, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. “We are very concerned that crucial investigative steps were not taken and that important evidence may have already been lost.”
Around 2,500 heavily armed military and civil police, supported by armored vehicles and helicopters, entered the Alemão and Penha neighborhoods targeting a significant drug-trafficking organization in Brazil. The raid was marked by hours of intense gunfire.
Initially reported deaths were 64, including four police officers; however, residents later discovered numerous additional bodies in a wooded area. The state’s military police secretary explained that officers had forced gang members toward this area, where elite units established a “wall” to prevent their escape. Residents later found the bodies and moved them to a nearby square, where evidence such as bullet casings and bloodstains remained unguarded.
“The lack of control over the preservation of the site is surprising,” commented Rio state’s attorney general.
Instead of organizing a thorough investigation, civil police have begun looking into allegations against residents for tampering with evidence, while Human Rights Watch noted that residents only accessed the bodies because police failed to secure the scene. Forensic analysts were not dispatched to either the wooded area or the square where the bodies were taken, highlighting another significant oversight. Without prompt forensic analysis, critical evidence such as gunshot residue can be lost.
Firefighters later transported the bodies to a morgue, where autopsies commenced. However, staff from the state Public Defender’s Office were reportedly barred from attending. Human Rights Watch, along with other civil society organizations, requested that representatives of the victims be allowed to observe the autopsies, but this request was denied.
While police reported seizing 118 weapons, footage from television indicated that both officers and journalists handled these firearms without gloves. The weapons were shown to the media rather than being sealed and prepared for forensic examination, raising further concerns about the integrity of the evidence chain.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has mandated that prosecutors should lead inquiries whenever there are suspicions of police involvement in unlawful killings, emphasizing the necessity of preserving crime scenes. The court has also ordered the use of body cameras by Rio’s police, but the military police secretary suggested that battery issues may have resulted in lost footage during the operation.
On October 30, the Justice Ministry announced plans to deploy 20 federal forensic experts to assist in the investigation.
Official data indicates that Rio’s police killed 703 individuals in 2024, with an additional 470 deaths recorded from January to August 2025. Notably, 86 percent of those killed in 2024 were Black.
“Brazilian authorities should ensure a prompt, thorough, and independent investigation of each of the killings,” Muñoz stated. “This tragedy underscores the urgent need to separate forensic services from the civil police and invest in independent, high-quality forensic work — a cornerstone of justice in any democracy.”
Tags: Brazil: Human Rights Watch says police failed to investigate deadly Rio raid that left 121 dead Extract 5 SEO-friendly keywords as tags. Output only keywords, comma separated.
Hashtags: #Brazil #Human #Rights #Watch #police #failed #investigate #deadly #Rio #raid #left #dead
