Brazilians Demand Justice for Marielle Franco's Murder

Brazilian lawmakers, social movements, friends, and relatives of Socialist Party (PSOL) councilwoman Marielle Franco Sunday took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro to demand justice for her murder, which took place on March 14, 2018.

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"The PSOL could not remain silent. It will continue to denounce and demand justice for this crime, even amid the pandemic," journalist Simone Nascimento reported and added that every March 14 is a day of mourning and struggle. 

This Sunday marked three years since Franco and his driver Anderson Gomes were executed in Rio de Janeiro. The government has not yet identified the crime's intellectual author, even when at least four suspects are linked to Jair Bolsonaro's administration.

"We took to the streets to put pressure on Justice authorities to speed up investigations," Nascimento points out.

Marielle's murder "was an attack on democracy and an attempt to silence the voice that demanded the rights of the blacks, peripheral population, women, and LGBTQIA people," professor Rose Cipriano added.

So far, only retired Military Police sergeant Ronnie Lessa and former lawmaker Elcio Queiroz have been arrested.

One day before her killing, Franco spoke out against extrajudicial killings by police and paramilitaries. "Three years later, there is still impunity," Cipriano condemned.