Brazilian police arrest suspected masterminds behind the killing of councilwoman-turned-icon

[Judi Lynn]

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s federal police arrested two men Sunday for allegedly ordering the killing of a popular Rio de Janeiro councilwoman in 2018, a long-awaited step after years of society clamoring for justice.

By Gabriela Sá Pessoa And David Biller The Associated Press
Sunday, March 24, 2024
4 min to read
Article was updated 2 hrs ago

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s federal police arrested two men Sunday for allegedly ordering the killing of a popular Rio de Janeiro councilwoman in 2018, a long-awaited step after years of society clamoring for justice.

The assassination of Marielle Franco, a 38-year-old city councilwoman, in a drive-by shooting shook Brazil profoundly and reverberated around the world. She stood out as one of the only Black women on the council and was also bisexual. Her assertiveness and mere presence ruffled some people, but she remained unbowed.

Police investigators said federal legislator Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazão, a member of Rio state’s accounts watchdog, were detained on suspicion of ordering the killing of Franco. Both are allegedly connected to criminal groups, known as militias, which illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.

. . .

The arrests of the men who allegedly ordered Franco's killing came four days after Brazil's Supreme Court validated a plea bargain for the shooter, who was arrested along with the getaway driver in 2019.

More:
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/americas/brazilian-police-arrest-suspected-masterminds-behind-the-killing-of-councilwoman-turned-icon/article_69d5074a-3e1c-5cdc-9644-95eb5bc6b82e.html





Brazilians mourn slain politician and demand justice for her death



Marielle Franco, and her driver, Anderson Pedro Gomes, who, with his wife, had just become a parent only several days earlier, were assassinated at the same time.

[Judi Lynn]

1. You may recall articles following the assassinations: New Ties Emerge Between President Jair Bolsonaro and Marielle

A doorman at President Bolsonaro’s gated community revealed that one of the suspected killers of Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco identified himself as a visitor of Bolsonaro’s residence before meeting with the other suspected killer on the day of Franco’s murder.

Maryam Alaniz

October 31, 2019

A recent report from Brazil’s Jornal Nacional shows the entrance records of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on March 14, 2018, the day a prominent Brazilian councilwoman and anti-police brutality activist Marielle Franco was murdered. The records show that Elcio Vieira de Queiroz—one of the two former police officers arrested in connection with the murder of Franco and her driver, Anderson Pedro Gomes—told a doorman that he was a visitor of Bolsonaro’s.

The doorman of the gated community said that when he called Bolsonaro’s house to check de Queiroz’s credentials, someone who sounded like Jair Bolsonaro authorized the visit. According to the report, de Queiroz then entered the compound and, rather than going to the Bolsonaro residence, went to meet with the second suspect in the murders, Ronnie Lessa, who lived in the same residential complex.

This newly discovered evidence could link Bolsonaro more closely with the murders. Bolsonaro claims that he was in Brasília on the day that Franco and Gomes were assassinated. However, because de Queiroz named Bolsonaro in order to enter the compound and Bolsonaro has claimed on numerous occasions that he never met him, the Supreme Court of Brazil is obliged to investigate the link.

Despite Bolsonaro’s claims to the contrary, the personal and professional links between Bolsonaro and the suspected assassins go beyond what was recently reported. Both Lessa and de Queiroz have been pictured with Bolsonaro on two separate occasions. Bolsonaro’s son Carlos Bolsonaro reportedly dated the daughter of one of the suspects.

More:
https://www.leftvoice.org/new-ties-emerge-between-president-jair-bolsonaro-and-marielle-francos-assassination/