Brazilian police militias

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Brazilian police militias
Foundationearly 1980s
CountryBrazil
MotivesFill the power vacuum left by the destruction of drug gangs in favelas, becoming the new force that rules these regions while partaking in the same activities the gangs used to.
StatusActive
Means of revenueExtortion, Kidnappings, Usury and Protection rackets

Brazilian police militias (Portuguese: Milícias), in Rio de Janeiro and other cities of Brazil, are criminal, illegal paramilitary groups made up of current and former police (Civil/Military) officers as well as Military Firefighters Corps officers, criminals, politicians, and military officers.[1] They carry out both vigilante and organized crime activities. In the favelas where the authorities have effectively lost control, drug gangs like ADA and Red Command often reign supreme, openly selling drugs and carrying weapons as well as acting as the de facto authorities, building infrastructure and enforcing their own brand of law and order. Police-backed militias force out the drug traffickers, only to set up their own protection rackets, extorting residents and taxing basic services.[2][3][4]

History[]

The militias have their roots in the death squads of the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1964.[1] They emerged in the late 2000s, being made up of off-duty police officers with assistance from local businessmen who need protection from armed gangs.[5]

Because of their close ties to the police force, the militias also enjoy the support of certain politicians.[6][7]

Politicians[]

Cesar Maia, Rio de Janeiro major in 1993-1997 and 2001-2009 have give support to militias; in his words, "Community self-defense" and "An evil better than drug gangs".

In 2008, a group of journalists were kidnapped and tortured by a militia; they were in disguise to document the militia's action. Between the involved are the 2 politicians, Colonel Jairo and his son Dr. Jairinho.

Even in 2008, innumerable civilians have been killed by militias trying to incriminate the local drug dealers and trying to enforce the political candidacy of Carminha Jerominho.

In popular culture[]

  • Corrupt police militias are the subject of the 2010 film Elite Squad: The Enemy Within.
  • The Crachá Preto, a fictional far-right paramilitary group with ties to the police, are the secondary antagonists in the 2012 video game Max Payne 3.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Against the current: Brazil's dangerous militias | DW | 04.09.2019". Deutsche Welle.
  2. ^ "Death of a Rio Cartel". The Intercept. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  3. ^ "'Like a cancer:' Rio militias grow, control swaths of city | CTV News". www.ctvnews.ca. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  4. ^ Phillips, Dom. "How Brazil's militias wield terror to seize power from drug gangs". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  5. ^ "In Brazil's Belem, rogue cop-run militias 'make their own laws'".
  6. ^ "'Lesser evil': how Brazil's militias wield terror to seize power from gangs | World news". The Guardian. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  7. ^ "InsightCrime: Spate of Murders in Brazil Shines Spotlight on Militia Phenomenon". insightcrime.org. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
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