In Rio, many of the victims of police violence have been hapless bystanders. Others have undoubtedly been dope dealers who, human rights group say, never saw the inside of a jail cell because of rogue cops who sometimes act as judge, jury and firing squad.
"A lot of these killings are quasi-executions, with shots to the head and the heart," said Sandra Carvalho of Global Justice, a Brazilian human rights group that monitors the police...
Rio drew worldwide attention to the violence on its police force a dozen years ago when a group of hooded officers killed seven street children sleeping outside a downtown church. A month later, a police-run death squad massacred 21 civilians in a Rio slum. Only a few of the numerous officers charged in the two cases were convicted.
Yet Brazil's ruling elite, backed by a gaggle of "Nobel Peace Laureates", supported the recent gun ban referendum.
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