Political situation in Brazil

Demands for tougher measures against gangs after police raid

Families have begun burying their loved ones after more than a hundred people were killed in a police raid in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

At the same time, there are demands for even tougher measures against gangs in the country, writes AFP.

A group of lawmakers working with former President Jair Bolsonaro is expressing their support for the offensive against the Comando Vermelho gang. The group says they will accelerate a bill to designate Comando Vermelho and First Capital Command – Brazil’s two largest criminal gangs – as “terrorist organizations.”

– The bill is about to be voted on in the lower house, says lawmaker Chris Tonietto from the right-wing Liberal Party.

The bill would allow security forces to use more lethal weapons to “neutralize” criminals, according to Rio’s police chief Felipe Cur.

Even left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been accused by critics of being soft on crime, has signed new bills against organized crime.

Rio de Janeiro police raid – the case is relevant

• At least 132 people were killed in a police raid on the Comando Vermelho gang in Rio de Janeiro on October 28, according to local authorities and legal representatives.
• More than 2,500 police and soldiers took part in the operation, which is described as the largest and deadliest in the state's history.
• The UN human rights agency OHCHR expressed concern about the operation and called for a swift and effective investigation into the events.
• Residents and activists in the Complexo da Penha favela accused the police of executions and described the operation as a massacre.