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Next March 14 marks another year (6 years) since Marielle Franco and Anderson Gomes were treacherously murdered on a street in the Estácio neighborhood, central region of Rio de Janeiro. The two killers, Ronnie Lessa, Élcio Vieira de Queiroz and former firefighter Maxwell Simões Corrêa, remain in prison awaiting the trial that will be carried out with the participation of a popular jury. In this last week, the name of Edilson Barbosa dos Santos was added to them, reported for having dismantled and destroyed the white Cobalt car used by the murderers.
What is known so far in relation to the question that has been bothering the justice system, police investigators, the press and public opinion for a long time: Who ordered the killing of Marielle Franco and why? Based on the award-winning denunciation made in November of last year by the perpetrator of the shooting of the councilor and her driver, former military police officer Ronnie Lessa, it is expected that it will be officially released in the coming days – by the Director of the Federal Police – the name of the perpetrator(s) of the murder and the reasons they had or had for commissioning this attack.
The name of the person who ordered this criminal action that has been unofficially leaked is that of the Counselor of the Court of Accounts of the State of Rio de Janeiro (TCE-RJ), Domingos Brazão, who has been categorically denying the accusations against him. The expectation regarding the links of the Bolsonaro Clan with the perpetrator(s) of the crime remains high, considering that the person who executed Marielle and Anderson was a neighbor and friend of the former president and a conspicuous member of the militias linked to the former captain’s family. .
The other suspect of being a principal in both deaths is Marcelo Siciliano, a former councilor of the Progressive Party, a close ally of Colonel Mauro Cid, former aide to then-President Bolsonaro. Cid is now on conditional release, after reaching an agreement with justice through the award-winning denunciation, where he assumed and verified his participation in many of the illicit actions carried out by the Executive during the previous government (Preparation of the minutes of Coup d’état, conspiracy with other soldiers against the Democratic Rule of Law, retention of jewelry and illegal sale of luxury watches gifted to the Brazilian State by other countries, falsification of Covid vaccine certificates, dissemination of fake news on the electronic ballot boxes to question the 2022 elections, participation in the so-called digital militias and a long etcetera).
Also appearing as a possible perpetrator of the executions is the former military police officer and later militiaman, Orlando Oliveira de Araújo, better known as Orlando da Curicica. This character has been pointed out by a witness as the true mastermind of the crimes, but so far there is no official confirmation of his participation in said actions.
The elucidation of the murders of Marielle and Anderson become increasingly pressing to the extent that the current administration has committed to clarifying all the dimensions of this barbaric crime and given that they also involve powerful political figures in Fluminense society and the militias that control an important part of the territory of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
On the other hand, the struggles deployed by Councilor Marielle Franco remain fully valid in today’s Brazil. As we have pointed out in a previous column, Marielle not only did extraordinary work among her constituents, but she also became a national reference among all those who were and continue to be the object of discrimination and excessive violence by the police forces and the militias (The murder of Marielle Franco continues in impunity).
So far this year, police forces have already killed a considerable number of inhabitants in territories dominated by trafficking, many of whom have been killed in false confrontations with repressive forces. According to data collected by the Special Action Group on Public Security of the Public Ministry of São Paulo, only in the first two months of this year 134 people were already executed. This means that the number of deaths committed by military police in that State increased by 94 percent compared to the same period in 2023. It is worth noting that the governor of São Paulo, Tarsicio de Freitas, is to this day a strong ally of former President Bolsonaro and maintains among its administrative teams many adherents of the far-right forces that supported the coup attempt of January 8, 2023.
Another issue on which Marielle would surely be involved in her complaint is related to feminicide, an endemic problem in Brazil. Indeed, violence against adult women, young people, adolescents and girls has been present for several decades. From moral and sexual harassment to feminicide, different dimensions of this violence mark the life experience of thousands of women throughout the country. In the latest report from the Brazilian Public Security Forum, it is confirmed that during the first half of 2023 the number of rapes and femicides registered an increase of 14.9% and 3.0% respectively, compared to the same period in 2022. This despite the fact that since In 2015 there was a Femicide Law that recognizes and penalizes the specificity of this violence.
Violence against members of the LGBTQIA+ community was another phenomenon on which Marielle acted with enormous dedication. In relation to this issue, according to information collected by the Grupo Gay Bahía (GGB), the oldest LGBT organization in Latin America, the number of violent deaths of this population was 257 lives taken last year. This worrying index keeps Brazil at the top as the deadliest nation due to homotransphobia in the world. According to the GGB organization, these numbers could be even higher, because they work with unofficial figures collected on Internet sites or direct complaints and also because in many cases the sexual orientation or gender identity related to these deaths is omitted.
The legacy of Marielle Franco
These and other issues were part of Marielle’s concerns and parliamentary work. According to a survey carried out by the Municipal Chamber of Rio, in just 13 months of holding the position of councilor, Marielle prepared 118 proposals, including projects, requirements, motions, official letters and amendments. Of these, 17 bills stand out, especially in defense of Women’s Rights (Commission of which she was president), for the end of police and militia violence in communities, in inclusion projects for LGBTQIAP+ groups and in integration programs for residents of the most deprived communities.
For the same reason, Marielle’s endless battles waged leave an enormous legacy. First, the creation of the Marielle Franco Institute in 2019, which has assumed the life commitments and flags that she raised during her mandate. For this, the Institute has been deploying a series of activities, first, to elucidate the truth about the crimes committed against Marielle and Anderson and, simultaneously, it has proposed the “mission of inspiring, connecting and empowering black women, LGBTQIA+ and peripheral people to continue moving the structures of society for a more just and equal world” (Marielle Franco Institute).
Subsequently, in 2020, a set of commitments were ratified by political actors and civil society that reflect the legacy left by the councilor of the PSOL (Socialism and Freedom Party). These commitments include the anti-racist fight, the demand for women’s rights, LGBTQIAP+ groups, improvements in education, health and housing services, environmental and climate justice, as well as a constellation of demands from residents of poor communities. (favelas) and the inhabitants of the peripheries.
As state representative Renata Sousa, also of the PSOL, appropriately noted, “Marielle was too big for one person to represent her entire struggle. Marielle’s greatness represents the fight for a new society. And the main message left by her is that humanity not be dehumanized. Marielle is present in all fights against social inequalities, especially against gender, race and class inequalities.”
March 14 has also been transformed into “Marielle Franco Day – Day of Fight against the Genocide of Black Women”, which has already been installed in the official calendar of activities of the State of Rio de Janeiro. This date may also acquire a national character in the event that the National Congress approves the bill sent by President Lula da Silva in March of last year.
In these six years since her martyrdom, the councilor’s face appears on thousands of t-shirts, murals and graffiti not only in Brazil, but all over the planet. Tributes to her life and her work have been made in various countries and to the demand for justice are added all the struggles that Marielle took on during her short and fruitful life.
That is why we repeat, together with all those who are inspired by the work done by Marielle Franco, that the seeds sown by her will remain in the thoughts and actions of thousands of citizens who cry out in unison: May the struggle continue bringing the fighters closer together. Marielle present!!
By Fernando de la Cuadra
The opinions expressed in this section are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the thoughts of the newspaper El Clarín