Amnesty International is calling for a full investigation into the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco. A human rights defender known for her outspokenness against police brutality, Franco, 38, was shot dead in an ambush on her vehicle March 14, in what appears to be a targeted assassination. Amnesty’s Brazil director, Jurema Werneck, cited the shooting as “yet another example of the dangers that human rights defenders face in Brazil,” and stated that the “Brazilian authorities must ensure a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into this tragic killing.”
Franco’s death came just weeks after she was appointed rapporteur for a special commission the city council created to monitor the government’s use of the military to take control of all public security through the end of the year in Rio. An expert on police violence, Franco was critical of authorities and their handling of killings related to the crackdown on drug gangs. Many have pointed to her denunciation of the police as a possible motive for her murder.
In addition to being an activist against police violence, Franco was also known for her social work and for fighting for the rights of Black women and youth as well as other marginalized communities. She won the fifth highest vote count when she was elected in 2016 and was in her first term in office.
From Jurist, March 16. Used with permission.
Note: Thousands-strong protests have been held since the slaying of Franco, who served with the Socialism & Freedom Party (PSOL) An openly gay Black woman, she was elected in 2016 after years of doing social work in Rio’s favelas.
Photo: WikiMedia Commons
Brazil: three arrested in 2018 murder of city council member
Brazilian police arrested three people March 24 in connection to the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes. The case has remained unsolved since 2018.
The police arrested brothers Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão for ordering the murder. Police also arrested former police chief Rivaldo Barbosa for alleged obstruction of the investigation, and purposefully diverting it away from the brothers. (Jurist)
Demand fairness, transparency in Marielle Franco murder trial
UN experts called for fairness and transparency on Feb. 23 during the murder trial for those accused of ordering the killing of Brazilian human rights defender Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes.
Experts noted that the trial was the “final chapter” in a fight for justice, after long delays prevented the conclusion of the investigation. They asserted that “it is vital that fairness and transparency are upheld and that full justice prevails,” arguing the trial is “an important milestone in addressing structural impunity for racism, intersectional discrimination and violence against human rights defenders, women, people of African descent and LGBTIQ+ persons in Brazil.”
Marielle Franco was a human rights defender and Rio de Janeiro city council member who criticized racism and police brutality in Brazil. She and her driver were murdered in 2018 by Élcio de Queiroz and Ronnie Lessa, both former military police. The two were convicted in 2024, drawing praise from UN experts. They warned, however, that “the fight for justice is not over” as the people who ordered the killings had yet to be tried.
Brothers Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão, both members of the Rio de Janeiro government at the time, allegedly ordered the assassination, along with the former director of the Civil Police, Rivaldo Barbosa, and former military police officer Ronald Paulo de Alves. The Brazão brothers and Barbosa were arrested in 2024, but changes in investigation personnel and leaks to the press made the process difficult, according to the UN experts.
The Brazão brothers face 90 years in prison if convicted for the combination of their crimes. Their trial comes against the backdrop of violence against human rights advocates in Brazil. According to Amnesty International, Brazil is “one of the deadliest countries for human rights defenders.”
Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, said: “These trials offer a historic opportunity to break the cycle of impunity that has characterized the state’s response to the killings of human rights defenders for decades.” (Jurist)