Brazil: Marielle Franco Murder Remains Unpunished After 4 Years

On March 14, 2019, gunmen shot dead socialist councilor Marielle Franco, a black woman who stood out in her fight for the defense of minorities in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. She died along with her driver Anderson Gomes, after participating in a political rally downtown.

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Long before it was known that members of the police were involved in this crime, her murder became an emblem of the impunity with which the Brazilian far-right operates.

On Monday, human rights defenders and social activists in Brazil and abroad are holding events to demand that the Brazilian justice find and punish the intellectual authors of a crime with clear political overtones. Until now, however, the judicial process has not even begun. Nor have the families of the victims had access to the police investigations.

One after another, five local commissioners have taken on investigations that were delegated to others because they did not conclude them. Until now, the Brazilian national and subnational authorities have not answered who had Marielle killed.

Two former police officers were arrested two years ago and accused of being the perpetrators of the crime. They are still imprisoned but have not been tried because the authorities have not formed a jury to do so. The assassins have not clarified who ordered the crime or what the motives were.

Referring to the bribery scandal known as “Ranchadinha,” in which the Bolsonaro Clan is involved, the tweet reads: "Who ordered the killing of Marielle Franco and why? Who would prevent her from being a candidate for senator for Rio de Janeiro state? Who? Who?... The answer lies in the ranchadinha."

Not everything, however, has remained hidden. As a result of investigations, authorities were forced to reveal some information about the alleged perpetrators of the crime.

In this regard, for example, outlet Jacobin recalled that two of the "militiamen" involved in the case had a direct relationship with the family of President Jair Bolsonaro. One of them worked in the office of his son, Flavio Bolsonaro, a Federal senator involved in several influence peddling scandals.

The other militiaman lived in the private condominium where the far-righ president lives. "There they appear together in several photographs at social events," the Brazilian outlet said.