Rights Watchdog Urges Brazil to Prevent Police Brutality Ahead of Olympics

Amnesty International Brazil Director Atila Roque said that police violence resulted in surge of homicides and large-scale violations of human rights during police raids ahead of and during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — An international human rights watchdog on Thursday called on Brazilian authorities to stop extrajudicial killings and beatings by security personnel as an enhanced security measure on the eve of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"When Rio was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games in 2009, authorities promised to improve security for all. Instead, we have seen 2,500 people killed by police since then in the city and very little justice," Amnesty International Brazil Director Atila Roque said.

He added that police violence resulted in surge of homicides and large-scale violations of human rights during police raids ahead of and during the 2014 World Cup.

"Brazil seems to have learned very little from the great mistakes it made over the years when it comes to public security. The policy of ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ has placed Rio de Janeiro as one of the deadliest cities on earth," Roque stressed.

According to Amnesty International data, police shooting claimed 580 lives in the state of the Rio de Janeiro alone in 2014 as enforcement forces conducted operations to enhance security in Brazilian cities, which hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Brazilian city of Rio set to host 2016 Summer Olympic Games in August 5-21 has been exposed to a number of challenges, including high insecurity and recent outbreak of Zika virus disease.