Rio governor says 'only a matter of time' before he becomes Brazil president

[Judi Lynn]

JULY 16, 2019 / 6:49 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Gabriel Stargardter
3 MIN READ

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The far-right governor of Rio de Janeiro state, who has likened drug dealers to terrorists and Nazis while advocating snipers in helicopters to shoot them dead, said on Tuesday “it is only a matter of time” before he becomes president of Brazil.

Wilson Witzel, a former federal judge, was widely seen as a long-shot to become governor of Rio state in last year’s elections. But his law-and-order rhetoric helped align him with the eventual winner of the 2018 presidential race, former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, hoisting him to an unlikely victory.

“Without doubt,” Witzel said, when asked by foreign journalists in Rio if he believed he would be president in the future. He did not specify when he might run.

. . .

But the number of killings by Rio’s police officers has risen, up nearly 20 percent in the first five months of this year. Critics argue Witzel’s hard-line rhetoric has given cops an implicit permission to kill.

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[Judi Lynn]

1. Rio governor: rising police killings 'normal,' will continue

By MARCELO SILVA DE SOUSA, ASSOCIATED PRESS RIO DE JANEIRO — Jul 16, 2019, 10:16 PM ET

The Associated Press

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2019 file photo, Rio de Janeiro Gov. Wilson Witzel attends the swearing-in ceremony for the new president of state-run oil company Petrobras, Roberto Castello Branco, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Witzel said Tuesday, July 16, 2019, that it is natural that deaths by the police will continue to rise during his term in office as a consequence of a policy of confrontation with terrorists. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Amid a soaring number of police killings in Rio de Janeiro, the state's tough-talking governor said Tuesday that it was "normal" for the rate to increase and will likely keep rising during his administration.

Gov. Wilson Witzel said the high number of killings by police in the state of Rio is a consequence of his policy of "confronting terrorists," as he calls drug trafficking groups.

. . .

Witzel also said "an investigation will soon reveal" that one of the largest criminal factions in Brazil, which controls drug trafficking in many Rio slums - the Red Command - has ties to Hezbollah. He provided no evidence to support the claim.

. . .

Witzel went from being almost unknown in Brazil to being the governor of Rio, one of the largest states in the country, with his discourse of zero tolerance for criminals resonating with voters in the violent state. During his campaign he proposed using helicopters as platforms for sharpshooters, who could target anyone carrying a weapon.


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rio-governor-rising-police-killings-normal-continue-64380516