A new decree by the governor of Rio de Janeiro authorising spending cuts ahead of the Olympic Games in August must not be used as an excuse to cut basic services or training for security forces to be deployed in favelas during the event, Amnesty International said today.

“The decision to cut social services and security spending ahead of the Rio Olympics is not only shocking but incredibly worrying, particularly given Rio’s utterly poor record when it comes to homicides and police killings.

 

“What Rio needs is not less but more investment to ensure security forces that will be deployed across the state are properly trained to prevent the kind of human rights violations we have been documenting for years.”

 

“This is not the time to hide behind numbers. The authorities in Rio de Janeiro have a responsibility to keep its people safe. Failing to take this responsibility seriously will only end up in more pain and suffering.”