BRAZIL · SECURITY
Key Facts
- What is happening A new investigation finds that none of the 122 killings in Brazil’s deadliest police raid, in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, 28 October 2025, appears in 4,400 hours of police body-camera video, published on Wednesday, 28 October.
- Why it matters The raid targeted the Comando Vermelho gang, which the United States designated a terrorist organization on Thursday, 28 May 2026, so the findings concern how police fought a gang Washington now targets.
- The numbers Only about 23% of roughly 2,500 officers wore cameras, and about 36% of detected gunshot clusters came while cameras were obstructed. Nearly 75% of the 117 non-police victims had a wound in the back.
- Who is who Human Rights Watch (HRW) is a New York-based rights group whose Brazil director is César Muñoz; the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) is a Rio drug gang; the raid was run by Rio’s state police.
- What to watch Whether prosecutors open criminal cases against senior commanders, as HRW urges, and what Rio’s incoming governor, who takes office on Wednesday, 6 January 2027, does on forensic reform.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- What it means for you US readers get a detailed outside account, from a New York-based group, of the deadliest raid against a gang Washington calls terrorist; the report does not mention any US role.
A year after Brazil’s deadliest police raid, Human Rights Watch says Rio police video shows none of the 122 deaths. The group also finds cameras were often covered or left behind.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based rights group, says Rio police video shows none of the 122 deaths in the raid. The group reviewed about 4,400 hours of body-camera footage from Operation Containment, Brazil’s deadliest police raid, held on Tuesday, 28 October 2025.
The raid, in the Penha and Alemão favela complexes of north Rio, killed 122 people, including five police officers. The United States designated its target, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang, a terrorist organization on Thursday, 28 May 2026.
For US readers, the report matters because the raid hit a gang Washington has labelled terrorist. It also comes from a US-based group, though the report does not mention the United States government.
What Human Rights Watch Found
HRW says no killing appears in the footage it reviewed: 532 Military Police cameras assigned to 527 officers. Rio’s government has said only about 23% of the roughly 2,500 officers in the raid wore cameras.
HRW found cameras covered, left running until the battery died, or left in vehicles, mostly during arrests, shootouts and home entries. About 36% of the gunshot clusters its software detected came while cameras were obstructed.
Of 305 front-line officers, 55% had recordings that ended or had large gaps by midday, HRW says. It adds that the raid turned most violent around midday, when many recordings had already stopped.
How the 122 People Died, Based on Autopsy Files
HRW reviewed 2,800 pages of autopsy files for the 122 victims, 117 of them non-police and five police officers. Nearly 75% of the 117 had at least one entry wound in the back, it says.
More than 40% of the 117 were shot in the head, and more than 60% were shot four or more times. Forensic experts consulted by HRW said many victims appeared to have been killed intentionally.
More than 85% of the non-police victims were Black, according to autopsy records, and two were children aged 14 and 17. Four of the five police officers died from a single shot to the front of the head or body.
HRW counts only seven wounded people who were taken to hospital and arrested, against 117 non-police people killed. Police had sought 100 arrest warrants and arrested 17 of those people, according to police records.
What Brazilian Authorities Have Said
On Wednesday, 29 October 2025, Rio’s state government said 119 had died: 115 suspects it called narco-terrorists and four police officers. State prosecutors said the same day that the raid enforced 51 court-ordered arrest warrants against Comando Vermelho leaders.
HRW says none of the dead were among those 51 people. State prosecutors opened an independent investigation, and HRW says they have charged 19 officers with break-ins, theft and camera tampering.
Answering freedom-of-information requests, the Civil Police told HRW there was no sign its handling protocol was ignored. The Military Police said it opened two disciplinary investigations against lower-ranking officers.
Rio’s government told Brazil’s Supreme Court that problems with dozens of body cameras were technical. The report does not say whether the authorities saw its findings before publication.
Why the US Terror Label Matters Here
On Thursday, 28 May 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed notices naming two Brazilian gangs as terrorist groups. They are the Comando Vermelho and the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital), a gang based in São Paulo.
One notice uses the Foreign Terrorist Organization power; the other uses Executive Order 13224 on Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Both were scheduled for the Federal Register on Friday, 5 June 2026.
HRW’s report does not mention the US government or the designation. Whether Washington will comment on the findings is not known.
What It Means for US Readers
US readers following Washington’s focus on Brazilian gangs now have a detailed outside account of the deadliest raid against one of them. It is an advocacy group’s analysis, and HRW says no officer has been charged with unlawful use of force.
The report does not cite any US funding, training or equipment for Rio’s police. It is not a travel advisory, and it covers a raid inside favelas of north Rio.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Rio’s government, Military Police or Civil Police have answered the new report. The sources reviewed contain no reply to the findings published on Wednesday, 28 October.
Most of the footage is sealed and cannot be published, so outsiders cannot check the camera findings. Footage from 62 cameras reportedly worn by Civil Police had not reached the state Public Defender’s Office, HRW says.
Counts differ: Rio’s government first said 119, and HRW’s release says 122. Its longer report cites 123, a figure that includes two men killed before the raid officially began; this article uses 122.
What Comes Next
HRW urges federal and state prosecutors to open criminal and civil cases against those responsible, including senior officials and police commanders. As of its report, prosecutors had charged 19 officers with break-ins, theft and camera tampering, and none with unlawful use of force.
Rio’s incoming governor takes office on Wednesday, 6 January 2027, and HRW wants forensic services split from the Civil Police by law. That would not decide any case, but it would change who examines bodies.
For context, see earlier coverage of the US terror label for PCC and Comando Vermelho and Rio’s armed-group map. More is on Brazil security and crime and the Brazil hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Operation Containment?
It was a police raid on the Penha and Alemão favela complexes in Rio on Tuesday, 28 October 2025. It targeted the Comando Vermelho, and HRW counts 122 deaths in Brazil’s deadliest documented one-day police operation.
What did Human Rights Watch find?
It found that none of the killings appears in about 4,400 hours of body-camera video, and that cameras were often obstructed. Autopsy files show nearly 75% of non-police victims had a wound in the back.
Who is Human Rights Watch?
It is a New York-based international rights group that investigates abuses worldwide. Its Brazil director, César Muñoz, is quoted in its release on the raid.
Have Rio’s authorities responded?
No reply to the 28 October report was found in the sources reviewed. Earlier, the police gave HRW freedom-of-information answers, and Rio’s government cited technical problems for camera failures.
Why does the US terror designation matter?
The raid targeted the Comando Vermelho, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2026. HRW’s report does not mention the designation or any US role.
Sources: Human Rights Watch news release, 28 October 2026; Human Rights Watch, “A Strategy of Death”, 28 October 2026; Human Rights Watch, “Machine-Enabled Forensics”; Rio de Janeiro State Prosecutor’s Office (MPRJ), 29 October 2025; MPRJ, charges against police officers, 11 March 2026; US State Department, Foreign Terrorist Organization designation notice; US State Department, Specially Designated Global Terrorist notice (all accessed 28 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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