The Public Ministry of São Paulo (MPSP) archived 17 of the 22 investigations investigating deaths caused by military police officers in Operation Shield, of the Military Police (PM), in Baixada Santista, in 2023. The data was shared by the Study Group of New Illegalisms (Geni), from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF).
According to the group of researchers, there are still two open cases. Two others, which involve survivors, are awaiting the outcome of what happened and confirmation or ruling out the participation of corporate agents.
The São Paulo Public Defender’s Office stated that it requested the reopening of investigations and the review of the archiving decisions. “We clarify that, in these cases, requests for review have been made to the Public Ministry of the State of São Paulo, based on the Code of Criminal Procedure (CPP), seeking analysis and in-depth investigations”, he wrote in a note.
“It is important to highlight that the Public Defender’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office act independently and complementaryly, with the common objective of ensuring justice and the defense of the legal order. The Public Defender’s Office’s actions in relation to Operation Shield take place in collaboration with the Public Ministry, always seeking clarification of the facts and accountability for possible illegalities.”
Wanted by Brazil Agencythe MPSP has not commented so far.
Operation Shield
Operation Shield was launched by the state government in Baixada Santista, after the death of military police officer Patrick Bastos Reis, from Rondas Ostensivas Tobias Aguiar (Rota), on July 27, 2023. At the time, the government pointed out that the action would serve to combat drug trafficking in the area.
In total, the operation culminated in the deaths of 28 people. According to Geni, none of the 64 police officers assigned to the operation was killed and only one was injured.
The operation was marked by a large number of deaths, denounced as executions by human rights organizations and which led these same organizations to question the action. According to authorities, the people killed had links to the world of crime.
There was strong pressure for the government interrupt the Shieldwhich continued and became known as Operation Summer.
The rights violations were denounced by the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), which released a report on the operation. In the document, the collegiate body says that people close to the victims told different versions those presented by the Military Police. One of the victims, for example, was homeless and, according to local residents, did not fit the profile of a drug trafficker, as the police had claimed.
Another report, from the Public Defender’s Office of São Paulo, revealed that 90% of arrests in the act made during the operation no weapons were seized. Another highlighted fact was that 60% of the people detained were brown.
