JUSTICE

3 Brazilian Officials Arrested for 2018 Killing of Civil Rights Activist Marielle Franco

Marielle Franco was an up-and-coming leftist politician when she was assassinated six years ago.

Brazilian police on Sunday arrested three prominent Rio de Janeiro politicians they believe plotted the 2018 murder of leftist activist Marielle Franco, authorities announced. Congressman Chiquinho Brazão, state auditor Domingos Brazão, and former Rio police chief Rivaldo Barbosa were all taken into custody and named suspects in Franco’s assassination, with Barbosa also accused of intentionally undermining the investigation. Police told The Washington Post that they suspect the trio masterminded the plot to kill Franco and that they would be transferred to a maximum-security prison in Brasilia, the nation’s capital, that afternoon. Franco was a favela-born rising star in Brazilian politics who advocated for racial justice and gay rights, a dangerous position in a city with a heavy militia presence and a conservative government. She was found shot dead in her car in 2018, a killing that sparked waves of protests to find her murderers. Within a year police arrested two ex-military police officers suspected of carrying out the hit, and last week one of them named the conspirators as part of his plea deal.