Amnesty International calls on Rio 2016 to help reduce police violence

Amnesty International presented today at the headquarters of the Rio 2016 Committee about 120,000 signatures to ask those responsible for the Olympics to pressure the authorities to achieve a reduction of police violence, which since 2009 it has claimed about 2,500 deaths in the city.

Signatures, accompanied by a wreath, surrendered after members of the organization placed outside the headquarters of the 40 sacks committee representing the 40 deaths that were recorded by police violence in the city last May.

These signatures were collected as part of the international campaign "Violence is not part of this game," with whom hope to change the modus operandi of the authorities and thus prevent future human rights violations during the Games.

"Our concern at the Olympics is the increase in police violence in the city," said the Head of Public Security of Amnesty International Brazil, Renata Nedes.

Nedes said that during big events like the Olympics, "there is a very significant increase in the number of people killed by the police in the city of Rio and the state of Rio".

Amnesty International made similar allegations during the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro 2007 and the football World Cup in 2014.

A nine days of the Olympics, the NGO has been reported that another "significant increase in the number of people killed" over the same period last year since last March.