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

SAO PAULO — The trial of the suspects accused in the 2018 killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver began Tuesday in Brazil's Supreme Court. The shocking, high-profile case turned the politician — who defended the human rights of Brazil's marginalized communities — into a global symbol of resistance.

A five-judge panel will rule on charges against former congressman Chiquinho Brazão; his brother who was a member of a Rio government watchdog, Domingos Brazão; his assistant Robson Calixto Fonseca; police investigator Rivaldo Barbosa and former police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira.

Franco, a Black and bisexual politician, was killed at age 38 along with her driver Anderson Gomes in a drive-by shooting.

Prosecutors say many of the charges come from plea bargain deals signed with former police officers Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, sentenced in October 2024 for the killing to 78 and 59 years in prison, respectively.

The Brazão brothers were arrested in 2024 as alleged masterminds of the crime. Investigations have linked them to vigilante groups known as militias, which often antagonized Franco.

Then-Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski said at the time of the arrests that the investigations suggested that Chiquinho Brazão was especially upset about a bill that his then-colleague Franco sponsored at the city council about regulation of land for public housing.

All the suspects have so far denied any connection with the killing of the councilwoman.

Chico Otávio, the author of a book about Franco's killing and a crime expert, said the investigation leading to the trial largely depended on the plea bargain testimonies. He added the ruling will come at a moment when Brazil's top court is facing popularity headwinds due to other cases.

''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.''

On Monday, United Nations experts in Geneva called for ''justice and remedy for all victims of pervasive systemic racism, structural discrimination and violence in Brazil."

''As we reach this long awaited stage of the judicial process, it is vital that fairness and transparency are upheld and that full justice prevails,'' they said in a statement.

She said on X that the killing "opened wide a pattern of violence, racism and misogyny in our country."

''We believe that the judiciary will act for justice and in favor of our people, making our democracy stronger,'' she said. ''We will never stop fighting for every voice that was knocked out."

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