Mega-operation against Comando Vermelho is the most lethal in the history of the State of Rio de Janeiro

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RIO – The mega-operation against members of the Comando Vermelho in the Alemão and Penha complexes, in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, is already the deadliest in the history of the state, according to data from the Study Group of New Illegalisms at the Fluminense Federal University (Geni/UFF). At least 64 people, including police officers and criminals, died this Tuesday, 28, more than double the number of the second operation with the highest number of deaths recorded in 2021, in Jacarezinho.

According to the"Police Massacres" report, produced by Geni/UFF, from 2007 to 2021, 17,929 police operations were carried out in favelas in the Rio Metropolitan Region, of which 593 ended in massacres, resulting in a total of 2,374 deaths. This represents 41% of the total deaths in police operations during that period.

Furthermore, the study shows that Jacarezinho was, until then, the location with the highest number of deaths in massacres. On average, for every 10 operations carried out in Jacarezinho, seven deaths occur.

The report also points out that of the 593 police massacres that occurred between 2007 and 2021, 64.6% occurred in the capital (383 occurrences, with 1,599 deaths), 21.4% in Baixada Fluminense (127 occurrences, with 475 deaths) and 14.0% in Leste Fluminense (83 occurrences, with 300 deaths), therefore, the region with the highest number of massacres is the capital, followed by Baixada Fluminense and Leste Fluminense.

In total, approximately 2,500 civil and military police officers participated in Tuesday's offensive. In Alemão and Penha, 48 schools were affected. In addition to the climate of fear in the favelas, there was interference on the Linha Amarela highway and attempts to block Avenida Brasil.

In the afternoon, Governor Cláudio Castro (PL) stated that there were also civil and military police officers shot in the action, but did not confirm the numbers. One of the dead officers is Marcos Vinicius Cardoso Carvalho, from the 53rd DP (Mesquita).

The action, which repeats scenes of war , exposes the growing power of organized crime in the country and the difficulties of the public authorities in repressing drug trafficking, with violent effects for the residents of poor communities.

Affected services

According to the Rio City Hall's Operations and Resilience Center (COR-Rio), the city is in Stage 2 this Tuesday"for public safety reasons that impact urban mobility." COR-Rio even recommends that citizens wait before moving around the city.

According to Rio Ônibus, more than 120 lines had their routes changed. According to MOBI-Rio, the BRT's Transbrasil and Transcarioca corridors, as well as connecting BRT services, were impacted.

The following roads are currently closed: