A Brazilian Supreme Court minister on Friday prohibited police raids in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas during the novel coronavirus pandemic, as a groundswell of criticism of brutal police tactics grows in Latin America’s largest nation. In the decision, Minister Edson Fachin forbid raids in favelas – as Brazil’s informal shantytowns are known – “except in absolutely exceptional cases,” which most be pre-approved by the state prosecutor’s office. Rio’s police forces are notoriously violent, having killed over 1,800 people in 2019.
