Brazil trial begins over murder of iconic activist Franco

Brazil trial begins over murder of iconic activist Franco

L'élue Marielle Franco pendant une séance du conseil municipal de Rio de Janeiro en février 2017, moins d'un an avant son assassinat

Two ex-police officers went on trial in Brazil on Wednesday over the 2018 assassination of charismatic black LGBT activist Marielle Franco, a Rio de Janeiro councilor who was gunned down in an attack that shocked the country.

Franco, who grew up in a Rio slum and was an outspoken critic of police brutality and of militia actions in poor neighbourhoods, was 38 at the time of her death.

In posterity she has become an icon of the fight against racism and for the welfare of people living in the country's gritty favelas.

Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Queiroz, both former military police officers, have already admitted to killing her and her driver, Anderson Gomes, in a drive-by shooting in central Rio on March 14, 2018.

The trial is being closely watched for any revelations it may yield over who ordered the hit.

Congressman Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos Brazao, have been charged with masterminding the attack, based on testimony from Lessa, who said they offered him a big reward to kill Franco on behalf of militias.

The pair, who deny the charges, are still under investigation.

"Today is the first step towards justice being served. We must not trivialize the loss of the lives that were taken from us," her daughter Luyara Santos, 25, told a rally outside the courthouse.

"After all this time I still feel as I did on the day my daughter was taken from me," Franco's mother Marinete Silva, told the gathering.

She was joined by her daughter, Marielle's sister Anielle Franco, who is Brazil's minister for racial equality.

Lessa has confessed to firing on Franco's car with a machine gun, while Queiroz has confessed to being the driver during the attack.  

The pair appeared in court by video link-up from prison.

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of 84 years imprisonment for each.

The seven jurors have been sequestered for the duration of the trial to prevent them being exposed to outside influences.

Besides campaigning for the rights of young black Brazilians, women and members of the LGBT community, Franco had frequently denounced the militia squads that sow terror in poor communities, with the complicity of police officers and politicians.

Her former PR manager Fernanda Chaves, who was in the car at the time of the attack, told the court her first thoughts were that they had been caught "in the middle of a shootout between the police and drug dealers".

When the shooting stopped, she managed to stop the car and get out to call for help,covered in blood and broken glass.

- Seeking answers -

Around 200 people gathered outside the courthouse carrying placards with messages such as "We want justice for Marielle and Anderson."

"Being here is an act of resistance. As a black woman I must be present to make my voice heard and show important Marielle and Anderson were and still our in our lives," Geovanna Januario, a 26-year-old geographer told AFP outside the courthouse.

Like many of the demonstrators Januario was holding a sunflower, a flower which Franco had made her personal marker.

"What happened to her was extremely brutal," Lucas Barbosa, a 27-year-old journalism student said.

"Years have passed without any answers being provided. It is important to get those answers as quickly as possible to put those people in jail," he said.

Last week, the Brazao brothers were questioned by the Supreme Court, as was former Rio police chief Rivaldo Barbosa, who is accused of obstructing the investigation into Franco's death.

He denies the allegations.

Amnesty International hailed the trial as "an important step" but said "true justice" would only come about when "all those responsible for the crime, including its masterminds" had been held to account.

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