Public Note #34 – The Jacarezinho Massacre: to put an end to police violence in favelas

The Arns Commission goes public to express its most vehement repudiation of the operation launched by the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro this morning, at the community of Jacarezinho, in the North Zone of the city. This is the deadliest police raid in the state of Rio de Janeiro since 1989, with at least 25 deaths already confirmed and shootings that relentlessly continued throughout the day.

It is unacceptable that this slaughter takes place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has plagued the country for more than a year, with a death toll of approximately 415,000. The Federal Supreme Court, by recognizing the increased risk of violence in this period, accepted Claim of Non-Compliance with a Fundamental Precept (Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental – ADPF, in Portuguese) No. 635, proposed by the Brazilian Socialist Party with the support of civil society organizations. Thus, police operations in the slums and favelas of Rio are suspended for as long as the pandemic lasts, except in cases of high exceptionality, which can only be deemed so upon the provision of prior information and with the monitoring of the State Public Prosecutor’s Office.

What is being seen in Rio – a disastrous operation against hundreds of people, authorized by the current governor, Claudio Castro, under the blurry pretext of investigating the recruitment of children and young people to sell drugs – clearly configures a situation of State violence, inspired by sadistic instincts and executed with great brutality. Bloodstained bodies are lying on the streets and alleys of Jacarezinho, houses have been invaded, cell phones have been confiscated, and residents are living hours of despair.

It is necessary to react to this slaughter! May the governor of Rio, who was sworn in just five days ago, assume responsibility for this ill-fated operation. The competent authorities must ensure the preservation of the areas where the deaths took place. The technical expertise work of the Institute of Forensic Medicine (Instituto Médico Legal – IML, in Portuguese) must be carried out according to the required technical criteria and under the watchful eye of the whole society. And the decision of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) suspending these operations must be fully complied with.

Photo: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters