Brazil - October 2025

On 28 October, a large-scale police operation led by the Rio de Janeiro state police in the Alemão and Penha favela complexes was carried out with the objective of detaining leaders of the ‘Comando Vermelho’ organized criminal group. 120 people were killed, including 4 police officers, and more than 100 were detained during the operation, called Operação Contenção, becoming the deadliest in Brazil’s history. Neighbours and relatives of the victims have denounced the operation’s cruelty and lethality, alleging that police forces committed acts of torture and extrajudicial executions. Human rights groups condemned it as a massacre and a violent escalation of a security policy that terrorizes vulnerable communities without ensuring human rights or due process. Experts also pointed to the racist nature of such policing, warning that the killing of Afro-Brazilians by police is becoming systematic nationwide. President Lula da Silva called the operation ‘disastrous’and announced an independent inquiry into it.

Sources: Amnesty International, OHCHR, The conversation, Agencia Publica, Brasil de Fato, BBC

On 7 October, President Lula da Silva launched Brazil’s National Policy on Migration, Refugees and Statelessness (PNMRA) through Decree No. 12,657/2025. The policy aims to coordinate efforts among the federal government, states, municipalities, civil society, international organizations and migrant associations to promote and protect the rights of migrants, refugees and stateless people. It provides a framework for protecting, assisting and integrating these populations, including providing access to programs offering essential services like education, healthcare and housing, and support for employment and income generation. It also establishes contingency plans for how to respond to migration flows under a humanitarian crisis. The PNMRA has been praised by national and international organizations working with migrants as a significant and necessary step to strengthen migrant rights, enhance protections and contribute to national development.

Sources: Agncia Brasil, Governo Federal Brasil, UNHCR, Noticias UOL