[News] Police Killings Reaches Historic Record in Rio de Janeiro - more than six deaths per day

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Police-Killings-Reaches-Historic-Record-in-Rio-de-Janeiro-20190822-0013.html 



  Police Killings Reaches Historic Record in Rio de Janeiro

August 22, 2019
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The mega-city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil recorded a 49 percent increase 
in civilian deaths at the hands of police in July compared to the same 
month last year, making it the highest number of deaths by security 
forces on record since tracking began in 1998, official sources say.

A total of 194 people were killed by the police in July - that's more 
than six deaths per day, on average, that took place in Rio during 
police interventions, according to a report released Wednesday by the 
Institute of Public Security (ISP), an agency associated with the Rio 
state government.

During the first six months of 2019 the number of murders at the hands 
of police reached 881. Meanwhile, no police officer died on duty between 
January and July of this year, compared to July last year when four 
officials were killed in the line of duty.

Rio police, both civil and military, have been heavily criticized by 
human rights groups 
<https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/More-Killed-in-Brazil-Than-Syria-Police-Killing-Rising-Report-20161029-0004.html> 
and the Ombudsman's Office for excessive use of the force and 
extra-judicial killings, often breaking into homes without a warrant and 
shooting from helicopters during police operations, among other tactics.

Although Congress has managed to curb, at least momentarily, the 
decrees Bolsonaro is issuing, seek 
<https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bolsonaro-To-Sign-Decree-to-Allow-Carrying-Loaded-Weapons-20190506-0008.html>ing to 
relax arms possession laws in Brazil, the far-right leader has not 
abandoned his intention to promote the use of guns.

Since assuming power in January, President Jair Bolsonaro, a 63-year-old 
former Army captain and admirer of Brazil's military dictatorship of 
1964 to 1985 and U.S. President Donald Trump, has threatened to pass 
laws that will allow police and civilians to “shoot suspected offenders” 
without fear of prosecution 
<https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Brazils-Bolsonaro-Seeks-to-Grant-Police-Impunity-Over-Violence-20190104-0009.html>. 
The Brazilian president has also said the nation's civilian security 
forces should be decorated for using guns, not taken to court.

  Río de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel, a right-wing ally of Bolosonaro 
and a supporter of the right of police to kill with impunity, had 
ordered the police to use snipers and murder anyone who they think is 
carrying a weapon, resulting in 90 percent of the police shooting 
victims being young, Black, males from poor favelas.

-- 
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