Family members of councilor Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes stated this Wednesday, 25th, that the decision of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to convict those responsible for the murders of the two sent messages to combat impunity and confront political violence with characteristics of gender and race. The outcome of the case came after eight years of waiting and two days of trial in the Supreme Court.
The Minister of Racial Equality and Marielle’s sister, Anielle Franco, stated that it is necessary to face and put an end to the mentality of a portion of society that seeks to minimize the murder of the councilor. “This today is also a message to a portion of society that mocked my sister’s death. A portion of society that every election year considers my sister as a disposable element, or as being just one more, or as they said ‘the mimimi about Marielle Franco'”, she stated.
Anielle highlighted the preservation of her sister’s memory as one of the main results of the trial and reinforced that the political gender and racial violence that victimized Marielle needs to be “annihilated”, “ended” and “exterminated” in the country so that “other women can occupy the same spaces and remain alive”.
Marinete da Silva, Marielle’s mother, thanked the work of the institutions involved in the case, especially the Public Ministry and the Public Defender’s Office, as well as the press for following the investigations. “It’s a relief. The question that echoed around the world was who ordered Marielle to be killed and today we are seeing it. We received dignified justice and left here with our heads held high”, he stated.
Marielle’s mother felt ill during the trial. She and her husband, Antônio da Silva, father of the councilor, had high blood pressure spikes due to stress. The granddaughter, Luyara Santos, Marielle’s daughter, was also treated by STF firefighters with signs of discomfort and had to be removed from the plenary in a wheelchair.
Luyara, who currently holds the position of executive director of the Marielle Franco Institute, stated that the Supreme Court’s decision honors the votes of her mother’s thousands of voters. “If we arrived here today, it is because for eight years we have been asking the question of who ordered Marielle to be killed,” he stated.
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Councilor Monica Benicio, Marielle’s widow, repeated Anielle’s assessment that the STF’s decision sent a message to the militias and other criminal groups operating in Rio de Janeiro that Brazilian justice will not let cases like this go unpunished.
“May Marielle’s case serve as a message to those who, in the certainty of impunity, like several Brazões that still exist in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, as well as Ronnies Lessa and Queiroz, that this type of violence will no longer be accepted. The STF today breaks a cycle of selective punitiveness, which for some would never arrive, while for others, condemnation based on color, based on gender, is always the way forward”, he stated.
Widow Agatha Arnaus, wife of driver Anderson Gomes, stated that there is still hope, despite the violence that is plaguing Rio de Janeiro. The analysis was shared by Fernanda Chaves, the only survivor of the attack, who classified the STF’s decision as historic.
“When we understand that historically Brazil has had difficulty convicting those responsible for major crimes, the Brazilian State today sends a message that crimes like this, political femicide, are not and will not be tolerated,” he said.
The First Panel of the STF unanimously condemned Domingos Brazão, Chiquinho Brazão, Ronald Alves de Paula, Rivaldo Barbosa and Robson Calixto for planning, ordering and trying to cover up the murders. All are in pre-trial detention until their conviction becomes final. They deny the accusations.
Minister Alexandre de Moraes, rapporteur of the criminal action, was fully accompanied by ministers Cristiano Zanin, Cármen Lúcia and Flávio Dino.
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