Summary
Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled to convict five men for planning the murder of politician and human rights advocate Marielle Franco and her driver in 2018. The court handed down long prison sentences to the defendants who were found guilty of conspiring in the assassination. This ruling concludes a high-profile trial with social and political implications in Brazil.
Key Facts
- Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted five men for the 2018 murder of Marielle Franco, a human rights leader and politician.
- The court panel's decision was unanimous, and the defendants received long prison sentences.
- Marielle Franco was a city councillor in Rio de Janeiro and known for advocating for women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ rights.
- Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were killed in a drive-by shooting in March 2018.
- Former Congress member Chiquinho Brazao and his brother were sentenced to 76 years in prison for plotting the murder.
- Three additional co-defendants received prison sentences for related crimes, such as murder and conspiracy.
- Prosecutors linked the involvement of the defendants through information from the two men who carried out the attack.
- The Brazilian government under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva supported broadening the investigation into the case.
