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Rio de Janeiro: killings by police hit a record high in Brazilian state
Rise comes under Governor Wilson Witzel, a Bolsonaro ally who has promised a zero-tolerance policy against criminals
Staff and agencies in Rio de Janeiro
Fri 3 May 2019 17.39 EDT
Police killings in the state of Rio de Janeiro have hit a record high, rising by 18% in the first three months of this year.
Official data reviewed by the Associated Press on Friday show police forces in Rio killed 434 people during clashes in those months, compared with 368 people in same period last year.
The number is the highest since record keeping began in 1998. The data was released on 17 April.
The rise comes under the watch of the Governor Wilson Witzel, a former marine and political ally of Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Witzel has promised a zero-tolerance policy against criminals, calling drug traffickers “narco-terrorists” and vowing to ease gun possession laws.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/03/rio-de-janeiro-police-killings-rise-brazil