Brazil’s Supreme Court begins trial of suspects in Rio councilwoman Marielle Franco killing

Brazil’s Supreme Court began the trial Tuesday of five suspects accused in the 2018 assassination of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, a case that transformed the slain politician into an international symbol of resistance against violence and corruption.

Franco, a 38-year-old Black and bisexual politician known for her advocacy for Brazil’s marginalized communities, was killed alongside Gomes in a drive-by shooting that shocked the nation and sparked global outrage.

A five-judge panel will determine the fate of former congressman Chiquinho Brazão; his brother Domingos Brazão, who served on a Rio government watchdog committee; Domingos’ assistant Robson Calixto Fonseca; police investigator Rivaldo Barbosa; and former police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira. All defendants have denied involvement in the killings.

The trial’s first day featured statements from both prosecution and defense, with proceedings adjourned until Wednesday morning when the judges will issue their ruling.

Much of the prosecution’s case relies on plea bargain testimony from former police officers Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, who were sentenced in October 2024 to 78 and 59 years in prison respectively for carrying out the assassination.

The Brazão brothers were arrested earlier in 2024 as the alleged masterminds behind Franco’s murder. Investigators have linked them to Rio’s notorious vigilante groups known as militias, which frequently targeted Franco during her political career.

Former Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski previously stated that investigations suggested Chiquinho Brazão was particularly angered by legislation Franco had introduced in the city council regarding regulation of land for public housing, potentially threatening his business interests.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes opened Tuesday’s proceedings by reading a summary of the case, followed by Deputy Attorney-General Hindenburgo Chateaubriand’s arguments for conviction of all five defendants.

Chateaubriand told the court that the Brazão brothers led a criminal organization whose primary target was actually Marcelo Freixo, a leftist politician who now heads Brazil’s government tourism agency. Franco had previously worked with Freixo before winning her seat on the city council, making her a secondary target by association.

Defense attorney Cleber Lopes, representing Chiquinho Brazão, challenged the prosecution’s case as being built on flawed information derived from plea bargain testimony. He argued that alleged militia connections were insufficient to establish guilt in Franco’s murder.

“People in Rio de Janeiro politics who have never asked drug dealers or vigilantes for their votes may cast the first stone,” Lopes told the court, suggesting such political connections are commonplace in Rio.

Crime expert and author Chico Otávio, who wrote a book about Franco’s assassination, expressed skepticism about the broader implications of the trial, even if it results in convictions.

“A conviction will be sold to society as a victory against organized crime, but it is not quite that,” Otávio told The Associated Press. “The same militia groups that could be behind Marielle’s killing are even more powerful now. They are spreading to more areas of the city. Society will get an answer about her death, but Brazil will continue to be very far from solving its organized crime problem.”

The trial has attracted international attention, with United Nations experts in Geneva calling for “justice and remedy for all victims of pervasive systemic racism, structural discrimination and violence in Brazil” just one day before proceedings began.

Anielle Franco, Marielle’s sister who now serves as Brazil’s racial equality minister, emphasized the trial’s significance for the country’s democratic institutions.

She wrote on social media that her sister’s murder “opened wide a pattern of violence, racism and misogyny in our country,” adding: “We believe that the judiciary will act for justice and in favor of our people, making our democracy stronger. We will never stop fighting for every voice that was knocked out.”

The case highlights the persistent challenges Brazil faces in confronting political violence, organized crime, and the powerful militia groups that control significant territories throughout Rio de Janeiro and beyond, often operating with impunity and alleged connections to political figures.