This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-27121677

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Brazil protesters in Rio clashes over dancer's death Brazil protesters in Rio clashes over dancer's death
(about 5 hours later)
Violent protests have broken out in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro following the death of a young man allegedly beaten by police. Deadly protests have broken out in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro following the death of a young man allegedly beaten by police.
Main streets through the tourist area of Copacabana were closed as angry demonstrators from a nearby favela set barricades of tyres alight. A man was shot dead during the violence on Tuesday night in the Pavao-Pavaozinho neighbourhood.
The unrest started after a dancer was killed by police who reportedly mistook him for a drug trafficker. Demonstrators from the favela set barricades of tyres alight, leading to the closure of streets in the nearby tourist area of Copacabana.
It comes less than two months before Brazil hosts the football World Cup. The violence comes weeks before Brazil hosts the football World Cup.
One man was shot dead during the violence on Tuesday night, local media quoted officials as saying. A 12-year-old boy was also reportedly wounded.
'Smoke everywhere''Smoke everywhere'
Witnesses said cars were set ablaze, a police station was attacked and gunfire could be heard from the Pavao-Pavaozinho favela. The unrest started after the discovery in Pavao-Pavaozinho of the body of Douglas Rafael da Silva Pereira, a 26-year-old professional dancer.
Angry residents marched to a local police station accusing the officers of beating Mr Pereira to death.
Witnesses said cars were set ablaze, the local police station was attacked and gunfire could be heard from the favela.
"There was smoke everywhere, shots in the street and people racing for their homes," one resident living nearby told AFP news agency."There was smoke everywhere, shots in the street and people racing for their homes," one resident living nearby told AFP news agency.
The protests were sparked by the death of a 26-year-old local man, named as Douglas Rafael da Silva. Pavao-Pavaozinho is one of the poor neighbourhoods of Rio that has been part of the recent "pacification" programme, in which police move into an area in an effort to wrest control from the drug traffickers who run it.
The professional dancer was reportedly found dead inside a school earlier on Tuesday. It is an attempt by the city authorities to drive the heavily armed gangs away from the communities and restore police authority ahead of the football World Cup in June and July.
According to his family, his body was covered in wounds and they accused local police of beating him to death after mistaking him for a member of a local drugs gang. But the programme is controversial as Brazilian police have been accused of using excessive force, at times killing residents not connected to any gangs.
Amnesty International says some 2,000 people die every year in Brazil as a result of police violence.
"This effort to pacify the favelas is a failure; the police violence is only replacing what the drug gangs carried out before," resident Johanas Mesquita told the Associated Press news agency.
Dancer's death
Mr Pereira's body was discovered in a local day-care centre covered in wounds.
According to some residents, he had been trying to flee from a shoot-out between police and drug dealers and had climbed over a wall to hide in the day-care centre.
They said he had then been discovered by the officers, who, believing he was a drug dealer, had beaten him to death.
The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation, AFP news agency quoted police as saying.The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation, AFP news agency quoted police as saying.
"An on-site report indicates Douglas's injuries are compatible with a death caused by a fall," the police statement said."An on-site report indicates Douglas's injuries are compatible with a death caused by a fall," the police statement said.
Amnesty International says some 2,000 people die every year in Brazil due to police violence. But his mother said he was covered in boot marks, suggesting he had been kicked to death.
Restore peace Firefight
Huge crowds, demanding an explanation for the death, gathered near the entrance to the favela, which is just a few streets away from Rio's famous beaches and tourist hot-spots, reports the BBC's Wyre Davies. Large crowds, demanding an explanation for the death, gathered near the entrance to the favela, which is just a few streets away from the city's famous beaches and tourist hot-spots, reports the BBC's Wyre Davies from Rio.
Pavao-Pavaozinho is one of several Rio favelas or slums that have been part of the recent "pacification" programme, our correspondent adds. The clashes began at 17:30 local time (20:30 GMT) causing panic among residents returning from work. Hundreds had to mill around in nearby streets waiting for the violence to stop to return to their homes.
It is an attempt by the city authorities to drive the heavily armed drugs gangs away from the communities and to restore some peace and police authority ahead of the football World Cup in June and July. Riot police and firefighters were sent to the area and an hour later witnesses reported hearing "an intense firefight".
But police have admitted to the BBC that they have lost the initiative in many favelas - including parts of Pavao-Pavaozinho. Officials said a 27-year-old man was killed by a bullet to the head. It is not yet clear who fired the shot.
Some parts of the city are under the control of the drugs gangs, our correspondent says. Riot police said they had "rescued" a group of 10 officers who had been surrounded by protesters inside the favela.
Brazil's police, meanwhile, have again been accused of being too ready to resort to violence, as they try to contain the problem. Police said the violence had been orchestrated by a powerful criminal gang.
Residents of Caramujo shanty town near Rio set fire to vehicles on Sunday in protest at the deaths of two people in incidents involving the police. Tony Teizeira of the Copacabana Residents' Association said the clashes came at a time when many tourists were in the area on Easter holidays.
One of the victims was outside a church with his family on Good Friday when he was hit by a stray bullet. "Unfortunately, innocent people are having to pay for this war between the police and drug traffickers," he said.
He was caught up in a shootout between police and suspected drug dealers. Thousands of visitors are expected to visit Rio for the World Cup which starts in Sao Paulo on 12 June and will end with the final in Rio's famous Maracana stadium on 13 July.
The World Cup will begin in Sao Paulo on 12 June and will end with the final in Rio's famous Maracana stadium on 13 July.
Are you in Rio de Janeiro? How have you been affected by the violence? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Rio Protests'.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions