SÃO PAULO — 1992 · Major Tragedy

The Carandiru Prison Massacre

ClosedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 2 October 1992 military police entering Pavilion 9 of São Paulo's Carandiru Penitentiary, then one of the largest prisons in Latin America, to put down a riot left 111 inmates dead. Human rights groups documented that most of those killed were unarmed, had surrendered or were in their cells; no police officers died. More than 70 officers were convicted in trials in 2013-2014, but the verdicts were annulled on appeal in 2016. The long legal process ended without result, and a 2022 pardon decree covered the officers. The prison was closed and partly demolished in 2002; the site is now a park and cultural centre.

Date: 1992
Place: São Paulo, Brazil, São Paulo, BR
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: -23.5080, -46.6240 ↗

Timeline of Events

2 October 1992111 inmates killed at Carandiru.
2002Prison closed and partly demolished.
2013-2014More than 70 officers convicted.

September 2016Convictions annulled on appeal.
December 2022Pardon decree covers the officers.

Sources

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