247 - In a public statement released this Wednesday (29), the Arns Commission expressed deep dismay at the massacre that occurred during the so-called “mega-operation” in the Alemão and Penha Complexes, in Rio de Janeiro. According to the entity, the action — which resulted in more than one hundred deaths — highlights the lack of control of the security forces and the State's omission in protecting the most vulnerable population.

The statement, published on the official website of the Arns Commission, expresses solidarity with the families of the victims — including four police officers killed in the line of duty — and condemns what it calls the “unacceptable pattern of conduct” of the state of Rio de Janeiro. “We also lament the injuries and trauma suffered by those responsible for public safety,” the text states.

Commission criticizes “state of exception” and use of brute force.

The organization highlighted that the recurring massacres in poor communities in Rio de Janeiro have reached alarming levels, turning the use of lethal force into the norm."It is inconceivable, just as it is intolerable, that the metropolis convulses in panic, fully justified, every time soldiers march through the alleys to supposedly combat militias or drug traffickers," the statement denounces.

The Arns Commission states that the state of Rio de Janeiro has failed to guarantee public safety and has begun to behave as a"promoter of insecurity, despair, and utter despair." According to the text,"claiming to act to repress criminal gangs, the public forces, lacking operational intelligence guided by ethical sense, exacerbate criminality itself."

Cláudio Castro is the target of direct criticism.

The statement also harshly criticizes Governor Cláudio Castro (PL), classifying as"embarrassing" his declarations in which he attempted to attribute responsibility for the tragedy to the federal government."The Union, the states, and the municipalities need to work together, or the catastrophe of public insecurity can never be overcome. For this to happen, however, a minimum of composure and seriousness is indispensable – and this has not been the hallmark of the governor of Rio de Janeiro," the document points out.

The Arns Commission accuses the state government of acting with"infamous disregard" in the face of the suffering of favela residents and calls for immediate action to curb the inhumanity and abuse of authority."Their disregard for life is infamous, given the suffering of their fellow citizens. This morbid indifference must be stopped immediately. Enough of inhumanity. Enough of cruelty. Enough of abuse of authority!", the statement concludes.