It was against these criminal groups that Marielle Franco raised her voice before being shot dead in her car, on March 14, 2018. The councilor, originally from Maré, a community in the suburbs of Rio, was murdered at the age of 38, along with her driver , Anderson Gomes.
“It’s a fundamental investigation to understand the size of the hole that Rio is in,” wrote Marcelo Freixo, former federal deputy (PSB-RJ) and president of Embratur, on the X platform.
Marielle Franco considered Freixo, who was her party companion, her mentor. She was his parliamentary assistant when he faced the militias head-on.
“Federal Police investigations into the murder of Marielle and Anderson show that the militias continue to have a strong influence at the highest levels of police institutions in Rio de Janeiro”, explains to AFP Carolina Grillo, coordinator of the Study Group on New Illegalisms ( Geni), from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF).
“And that the public authorities have an active participation in favoring and acting on the militias”, he adds.
– Lula’s campaign promise –
Arrested on Sunday, brothers Domingos and Chiquinho Brazão are old acquaintances in Rio politics. Investigators link them directly to militias.
