President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent the anti-faction bill to Congress on Friday (31), accelerated in response to a major police operation in Rio de Janeiro that resulted in 121 deaths. The proposal toughens penalties against organized crime and creates mechanisms to financially combat factions. Experts debate whether the text represents progress or repeats ineffective punitive formulas.
On Friday, October 31, 2025, President Lula signed and sent the Anti-Faction Bill to the Chamber of Deputies, drafted by the Ministry of Justice under Ricardo Lewandowski. The measure was spurred by Operation Contenção, conducted on Tuesday (28) in the Penha and Alemão complexes in Rio de Janeiro, targeting the Comando Vermelho faction. The operation, the deadliest in the state's history, killed 121 people identified as suspects and injured 13 police officers, with four agent deaths: two from the Military Police and two civilians, including delegate Marcus Vinícius Cardoso de Carvalho and inspector Rodrigo Velloso Cabral.
Lula announced the initiative on social media: "I am signing here to send a bill with utmost urgency to the National Congress, which is an anti-faction bill. We will show how to confront factions in this country, how to confront organized crime, how to confront those who live off the exploitation of the humblest people in this country." The text creates the penal type of "qualified criminal organization," with sentences of 8 to 15 years, rising to 30 years in homicide cases, and deems it heinous. Other provisions include increasing penalties for simple criminal organization from 3-8 to 5-10 years, with aggravating factors like minor involvement or public sector infiltration; asset seizure without conviction; police infiltration using fictitious companies; creation of the National Bank of Criminal Organizations; and a 14-year ban on public contracts for convicts.
The proposal, sent to the Planalto on October 22, faces resistance in Congress. Senator Sergio Moro criticized points that weaken crime-fighting, while Deputy Paulo Bilynskyj highlighted omissions in custody hearings and sentence progression. Right-wing governors, such as Cláudio Castro (RJ), Romeu Zema (MG), and Ronaldo Caiado (GO), met to support the state operation amid political clashes.
In Folha debates, USP professor Gabriel Feltran sees potential to extend focus to business elites linked to factions, drawing from Italy's anti-mafia experience, but warns of punitive risks exacerbating inequalities. Prosecutor Roberto Dávila argues the bill ignores the root issue – drug trafficking – and that infiltrations are unfeasible in Brazil, offering no real innovation beyond routine measures like parley monitoring.
A Veja-cited survey shows public approval of Rio police operations. The government also pushes the Security PEC, progressing slowly, to unify national guidelines.
