The number of people killed during police operations in the set of favelas of Maré, in the north of Rio, in 2022, increased by 145% compared to the previous year. There were 27 – many with signs of torture and execution, according to community complaints –, compared to 11 in 2021.
The information is in the 7th edition of the Bulletin Right to Public Security in Maré, released this Monday (13th), by the NGO Redes da Maré.
In all, 39 people died as a result of gun violence in 2022 in the complex. Twelve were victims of clashes between rival criminal groups.
In 2020, the numbers were lower: there were five killed in security actions.
Report
Based on a network of collaborators that in 2022 brought together 197 residents and 21 social organizations, the NGO Redes da Maré collects and confirms information regarding routines in the favelas.
The report states that there were 27 police operations and 8 clashes between rival criminal groups in Maré throughout 2022. As a result of these episodes, schools in the favelas were closed for 15 days, while health facilities were closed for 19 days.
Of the 39 people killed with firearms, 38 were men and one was a woman. Of this total, 19 victims were black; 9, brown; 7, white; and about 4 there is no information. Thirteen were between 19 and 29 years old.
According to the NGO, of the 27 deaths registered during police operations, in more than 20 there were what Redes considered evidence of execution by State agents. People who had already surrendered and were unarmed would have been killed.
Two episodes reported by the bulletin are especially frightening. One happened on September 26th. Residents of Baixa do Sapateiro asked the Redes da Maré team for help. They reported that, during a police operation in the region, a person entered a house in which there were 19 people, dominated the owner of the property and began to announce, screaming, that he wanted to surrender and not be executed. Bope (Special Operations Battalion) agents, an elite troop of the Military Police, surrounded the house, and the owner was released.
“The remaining 19 people stayed at the home in private prison for about three hours. This fact required Redes da Maré professionals to take a long time to mediate with public security agents, the leaders of neighborhood associations and the many residents who joined in the surrounding areas wanting to understand what the police were going to do to keep this group in prison. The security agents made threats and were not open to dialogue, preventing any approach to the place”, reports the bulletin released this Monday.
The report goes on, with more details. “According to an on-site survey carried out by ‘De Olho na Maré’, 17 [pessoas] were arrested and two died. When leaving the house, the policemen left behind instruments of torture such as pliers and electric shock”, records the text.
“Residents describe how one of the police officers said he would choose two people to die. The agent would have pointed to the two chosen, taken one of them to the bathroom and executed. was executed with a shot to the head”, concludes the report.
The second episode took place two months later, on November 25th. Residents told Redes da Maré that three young people were arrested inside a house in Favela Nova Holanda and tortured by police officers from the Battalion of Actions with Dogs. The police removed the three from the house and said they would take them to a hospital, without saying which one, according to the report.
Family members of the trio and members of Redes da Maré searched health facilities, the Legal Medical Institute and police stations in the region, without locating them. Later, a photo of one of the three young people — dead — began to circulate on social media. Soon, it came to the attention of his family. According to the report, the three were executed.
“Favela residents want the right to live”, summarizes Liliane Santos, coordinator of the Right to Public Safety axis at Redes da Maré. “For this right to be respected, we have to denounce the situation, all the illegalities practiced. The participation of the Public Ministry and the judicial system is also fundamental”, she concludes.
Military police
Questioned about these episodes, the State Secretariat of the Military Police stated, in a note, that “the SEPM command does not tolerate possible abuses by its members, rigorously investigating facts in this regard when reported”.
“The corporation’s internal affairs department is available to citizens to file these complaints by calling (21) 2725-9098 or by e-mail denuncia@cintpm.rj.gov.br. Anonymity is guaranteed.”
The folder did not specifically comment on the two cases described.
Regarding deaths and other problems recorded during operations carried out by the Military Police in Maré, the SEPM stated that “the corporation’s actions are preceded by prior planning, being triggered within technical protocols and the provisions of current legislation”.
Complexo da Maré
Maré is home to 140,000 residents spread across 16 communities located on the shores of Guanabara Bay. It is also close to some of the main expressways in the city: Avenida Brasil, the Yellow and Red lines, as well as the Transcarioca.
The sequence of favelas extends along the edge of Avenida Brasil, in the center-north direction, from the headquarters of Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) to Penha, passing through the entrance to Galeão International Airport.
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