One year after the deadliest police operation in the history of Brazil , human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has leveled serious accusations against the country's authorities.

Contrary to legal regulations, most of the 2,500 police officers who were deployed to the "Complexo do Alemao" and "Complexo da Penha" favelas on October 28, 2025, did not wear body cameras.

In the course of "Operacao Contencao" ("Operation Containment"), police officers were expected to execute dozens of arrest warrants against members of the Comando Vermelho drug cartel that day.

The result: During hours-long firefights in the favelas, 117 alleged gang members and five police officers were killed.

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Body cameras don't show the full picture

After analyzing more than 4,000 hours of video material, HRW concluded in its investigation that only…