Marielle Franco: Two powerful politicians arrested over Brazil murder
Two powerful politicians and Rio de Janeiro’s former chief of police have been arrested as part of a federal police operation targeting the suspected masterminds of the 2018 assassination of Rio councillor Marielle Franco.
The operation – named Murder, Inc – was launched at the crack of dawn on Sunday and came just over six years after the shooting of Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, caused an international outcry.
Brazilian media reports said three prominent figures were arrested: the federal congressman, Chiquinho Brazão; his brother, the former state congressman, Domingos Brazão; and the former head of Rio’s civil police, Rivaldo Barbosa.
The Brazão brothers have long faced accusations of involvement in organized crime – claims they have denied. During the 1980s the men were reportedly known in Rio as the “Irmãos Metralha” (The Beagle Boys) – a reference to the Disney cartoon villains.
As news of the arrests broke, Marcelo Freixo, a prominent leftwing politician who was close to Franco, tweeted: “The arrests today of the Brazão brothers and Rio’s former police chief make clear who carried out this killing, who ordered it, and who failed to investigate it.”
Lawmaker Renata Souza, who was also a friend of Franco, called the arrests “a very important step”. “The Brazilian state and justice system owe society an explanation. It has been six years of such pain and sadness and today we are now close to getting the answers that we need,” Souza tweeted.
Franco, a 38-year-old lawmaker from the Socialism and Freedom party, was gunned down on the night of 14 March 2018 as she returned home from an event. During her short career in politics, the black, gay favela-born activist had earned a reputation as a courageous defender of Brazil’s minorities and an outspoken campaigner against police violence.
Six years after the assassination, the hitman who has confessed to pulling the trigger, a former police officer called Ronnie Lessa, is behind bars awaiting trial. However, until now the architects of the crime have remained at large. The question, “Quem mandou matar Marielle?” (Who ordered Marielle’s murder?”) has become a rallying cry for the Brazilian left, at protests and on social media, but for years that question has gone unanswered.
Sunday’s arrests appeared to be the result of a plea bargain Lessa recently struck with investigators, in which he agreed to name the masterminds in exchange for a reduced sentence and other benefits.
More details soon…