Tribute to a counselor in Brazil for the fifth year of his murder

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Relatives and supporters gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the assassination of city councilwoman Marielle Franco in the hope that investigations into her death will speed up under the Brazil’s new left-wing president

“It has been five years of pain, suffering, hope and unanswered questions. Half a decade is a long time,” Marinete da Silva, the slain councillor’s mother, told reporters after the unveiling. of an 11-meter-tall cardboard box of his daughter at the Rio art museum.

In the cartoon, Marielle – who was black, bisexual and known internationally by name – appears wearing a floral dress and the figure represents her enormous heritage, da Silva said.

In 2016, Marielle won municipal council elections, where she fought against violence against women while advocating for human rights and social programs, especially in favelas like the one where she was born and raised. The rising political star and his driver were murdered on the night of March 14, 2018, as they returned from an event to empower young black women.

Since then, the city councilor has become a martyr and a symbol of the resistance of the left. His silhouette can be found on t-shirts and painted on walls throughout the South American country, and even abroad.

Two former police officers accused of committing the double murder are in jail awaiting trial, but the central questions of the case remain unanswered: who ordered Marielle’s murder and what were their motives?

Marielle’s father, Antonio Francisco da Silva Neto, said far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro failed to lead a coordinated effort to solve the case. He believes justice can finally be served under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office in January.

“We would have no hope if President Lula had not been elected,” he told reporters.

Lula has worked hard to honor Marielle’s memory and expedite the investigations. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, she sent a bill to Congress to declare March 14 a day dedicated to Marielle and focused on the fight against gender and racial political violence.

On Tuesday, Lula and his cabinet stood and observed a minute’s silence. Marielle’s sister, Anielle Franco, who is Lula’s racial equality minister, shed a few tears.

“It is very important to us as a family…to have a government that is interested in the case and has shown, more than ever, its willingness to collaborate so that we can find out who ordered the murder of my sister,” Anielle says Franco.