The mega-operation, called Containment, was the most lethal in the history of Rio de Janeiro, with 121 dead, including four police officers
The governor of, gained more than half a million followers on his social network profile in three days, after the mega police operation that left 121 dead in the complexes of and Penha, in the north of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. On Monday (27), Castro had 464 thousand followers on his Instagram profile. On the day of the operation, Tuesday (28), the number rose to 478 thousand. The following day, when residents began to find dozens of bodies in the communities, the governor’s profile reached 746 thousand followers. This Thursday (30) the total reached 1.2 million.
The operation, called Containment, was the most lethal in Rio’s history. Civil and Military police were mobilized to carry out 180 arrest and search and seizure warrants against members of the. The death toll was 121, including four police officers, in addition to blocking roads and suspending services in several parts of the city. The Rio government stated that the objective of the action was to contain the advance of the faction and arrest criminal leaders. Castro classified the result as “a success”. The Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) pointed out signs of illegalities and rights violations. Experts consulted by Estadão assessed that the strategy was high risk and ineffective in combating organized crime.
According to a survey by the Study Group on New Illegalisms (GENI/UFF), Rio has recorded 1,846 deaths in police operations since Castro took office in August 2020. There were more than 8,000 such actions between 2020 and 2025. Of the 11 most lethal operations since 2007 in the State, six occurred under Castro’s management.
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A post shared by Cláudio Castro (@claudiocastrorj)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on Wednesday (29) for a comprehensive and effective reform of policing methods in Brazil. The head of human rights at said the country needs to “break the cycle of extreme brutality” and ensure that public security operations follow international standards on the use of force.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
