The UN asks for an independent investigation on the police raid in Rio de Janeiro
In a press release published this Friday (31), experts point to evidence of executions and ask for protection for family members and human rights defenders
Relatives of those killed during Operation Containment, which arrested 113 criminals and seized 118 weapons in the Alemão and Penha complexes, protest in front of Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro, this Wednesday, October 29, 2025. (Photo by CHARLES SHOLL / Brazil Photo Press via AFP)
UN experts in human rights asks for an “immediate, independent, and thorough” investigation this Friday (31) on the police raid that killed at least 120 people in the Alemão and Penha complexes, in Rio de Janeiro, on October 28. The raid, named officially as Operação Contenção, is considered the most lethal in the country’s history.
According to the press release, the bodies of several victims were found with their hands tied or with gunshot wounds to the back of the neck, which could indicate summary executions. Residents also reported home invasions without a warrant, arbitrary arrests, and the use of helicopters and drones to fire at areas inhabited by civilians. “The scale of violence and the consequences to the lower-income populations of African descent exposes a deep-rooted pattern of racialized police work and impunity”, stated the UN experts. “These acts could constitute unlawful homicides.”
The group also stated its concern with threats and attempts to criminalize relatives of victims and human rights defenders that helped remove the bodies. The Brazilian government was asked to ensure protection for these people and to preserve evidence for future investigations.
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The urgent measures requested include the suspension of raids with excessive use of force, witness protection, and compliance with international standards on the use of police force.
The press release emphasizes that the UN and other regional bodies have repeatedly warned Brazil of the pattern of violence and racism in police raids. “Authorities must break away from the legacy of impunity that underscored similar events in the past”, the text says.
According to the report published last year by the same experts, Brazilian police kills over 6,000 people a year — most of them Black — in a context of repression and “institutional hypermasculinity”.
The document is signed by Akua Kuenyehia, Tracie Keesee and Victor Rodriguez, of the International Mechanism of Independent Experts of the UN for the Advancement of Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement; Bina D’Costa, president of the Task Force on People of African Descent; K.P. Ashwini, special rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance; Mary Lawlor, rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders; and Morris Tidball-Binz, rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions.
