Marielle Franco

Death of Marielle Franco Shines Light on the White Collar Criminals Running Brazil

Marielle was a child of the slums of Rio de Janeiro. She was black, beautiful, young and charismatic. She studied sociology and had an MA in public administration. She was a feminist, LGBT+, Black and human rights activist. Elected on a progressive agenda, she was an active councilwoman of the city of Rio de Janeiro since 2016. She was assassinated on the 14th. of March. Four bullets from a 9-millimeter gun transpierced her body. They also killed Anderson Pedro Gomes, her driver.

The Murder of Black-Activist Marielle Franco Marks Brazil’s Return to a Dictatorial Past

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece for DemocraciaAbierta, following this year’s political carnival in Rio where I reflected on resistance against –and repression from—the Brazilian government, and on how challenging the times that lay ahead were.
Unfortunately, shortly afterwards, I am here writing again in the wake of this tragedy that occurred last night in Rio.