Rio de Janeiro - More than 2,500 people have been murdered by so-called "untouchable extermination groups" during the last three years, according to a dossier from Brazil's Human Right's Commission, Nicole Veash reports.
The unsolved killings, which commonly include death by torture, are reportedly carried out with the help of the country's police force. The survey, "Extermination Groups in Brazil", says the registered cases of murder they examined are only the tip of the iceberg and that many other victims lie buried in clandestine graves.
The commission, which is made up of members of Brazil's elected congress, surveyed 12 of the country's 22 states using police files and newspaper reports.