Underlying the glamour and hype surrounding the Rio Olympics are myriad reports of severe human rights violations by the Rio city government and government-backed service providers. Since earning the right in 2009 to host the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio De Janeiro, up to 11,000 people were killed by state-backed security forces in a bid to clean up the entrenched criminal elements in local favelas. Many of these killings are reported to be extra-judicial in nature and raises concerns regarding due legal process being ignored. Additionally, hundreds of families have been evicted from local favelas, often forcefully, to make way for the BRT Transcarioca, a high-speed bus lane linking the international airport with Barra Da Tijuca, the neighbourhood hosting most of the Olympics.
The evicted tenants are often given insufficient, sometimes nonexistent, notice that their homes are to be destroyed. The lucky ones are rehoused close to their original residences, but many have reported being shunted up to 60 kilometres away from the city centre to live in condominiums ‘protected’ by local militias comprised of off-duty or ex-police officers who charge exorbitant fees for basic services and security. This has exacerbated the existing housing deficit in Rio De Janeiro (and Brazil in general) and is seen by many as an excuse for the government to further separate the affluent from the poverty-stricken in its drive to provide a bold front to the international community.
More information can be found at:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/brazil/report-brazil/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/02/rio-de-janeiro-at-high-risk-of-deadly-human-rights-violations-in/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/28/brazil-officials-evicting-families-2016-olympic-games
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-08/rio-favela-demolished-to-make-way-for-olympics/7699184