In October, Brazil witnessed its deadliest police operation in history, leaving 122 people dead in the Complexo da Penha favela in Rio de Janeiro. The Guardian's investigation, based on interviews with community leaders, lawyers, security specialists, and bereaved relatives, reveals that at least one victim was not involved in crime, contradicting official claims that all those killed were traffickers.
The raid, named Operation Containment, targeted the Red Command drug faction. Police chiefs and right-wing politicians hailed it as a historic blow, but President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and activists called it a futile massacre. Of the 117 non-police fatalities, the majority were from regions outside Rio, such as the Amazon and north-east, indicating the Red Command's spread.
Police refused to disclose the race of those killed, but relatives and sources said the vast majority were black, reinforcing research on disproportionate police violence against Afro-Brazilians. The list of 100 arrest warrants did not include any of the 117 names of those killed.
Among the victims was Ronaldo Julião da Silva, a bricklayer and father of six, who was killed while trying to reach his home. His daughter, Ana Beatriz, said: 'My dad wasn't a crook. My dad was a worker.' The operation involved 2,500 officers, at least twice as many as previous raids, and lasted 17 hours.
