RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A human rights group on Thursday urged Rio de Janeiro's state government to take urgent measures to end what it calls a systematic use of excessive force in slums and outlying areas ahead of the Olympic Games.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Brazil's director of Amnesty International, Atila Roque, called on the government to reform protocols and conduct thorough investigations for each police- or military-involved shooting.
The London-based organization said there's been a surge in killings during operations involving police and armed forces. The number of killings rose from 560 to 645 between 2014 and 2015, and could be even more in 2016, according to the group.