Does this law not implicate police as criminals who also deserve to be killed?
Policemen and journalists take cover during an operation to fight heavily armed drug traffickers at the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 22, 2017.
Brazilian soldiers were sent to help Rio de Janeiro police fight heavily armed drug traffickers who have taken over much of the biggest shantytown in the country, the Rocinha favela. Local media reported intense shooting between police and criminals early Friday at Rocinha, where approximately 70,000 people live in a teeming collection of small homes on steep hillsides overlooking western Rio. / AFP PHOTO / Mauro PIMENTEL (Photo credit should read MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images)
Lawmakers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have approved a “wild west bonus,” a controversial new law that provides financial incentives for police officers who kill “criminals.” This legislation has sparked a firestorm of protest from human rights organizations, which argue that it will embolden police brutality and lead to an increase in extrajudicial killings. Opponents fear the law will disproportionately affect impoverished communities and further erode public trust in law enforcement.
