Brazil’s Supreme Court awarded harsh punishment for the murder of Marielle Franco. court news

The shooting death of Franco, an activist, raised questions about political violence and corruption within the Brazilian government

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled five men guilty.

A panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled guilty five men accused of plotting the 2018 murder of human rights leader-turned-politician Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes.

The panel’s judges were unanimous in Wednesday’s ruling, which marked the climax of a closely watched trial that has raised questions about polarisation, corruption and race in Brazilian society.

“Human justice is not capable of assuaging this pain,” Justice Carmen Lucia told the victims’ families as the court sentenced the five defendants to decades-long sentences.

At the time of her death, Franco, 38, was a city councillor in the city of Rio de Janeiro, just one year into her term. He was considered a rising member of left-wing socialism and the Liberty Party.

Franco, a Black woman from densely populated, low-income areas of Brazil, was known for campaigning for the rights of LGBTQ people, racial minorities and women.

He also used his platform to condemn excessive police violence in villages as well as illegal land appropriation by local officials.

On March 14, 2018, after an evening debate in Rio de Janeiro, a car drove up alongside the vehicle carrying Franco and Gomes.

The attacker fired 13 bullets at his car. Franco and Gomes were killed, and a colleague travelling in the vehicle was also injured.

Prosecutors have described the attack as an assassination designed to silence Franco and prevent him from moving forward against powerful interests.

In Wednesday’s ruling, Supreme Court judges found that former congressman Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazão – a councillor on Rio’s state audit court – conspired to assassinate Franco in response to his efforts to end illegal land grabs.

Both brothers had benefited from efforts to claim public land in Rio de Janeiro for private development. Previously, he was considered among the most powerful politicians in the city.

They were arrested in 2024, and both were sentenced to 76 years in prison under Wednesday’s verdict.

His three co-defendants were also sentenced to lengthy prison terms. One, Robson Calixto Fonseca, was an assistant to the Brazeau brothers and was given a nine-year sentence for criminal conspiracy.

The other two were law enforcement officers. Former police investigator Rivaldo Barbosa received an 18-year sentence for passive corruption and obstruction of justice. Police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira was convicted of murder and attempted murder and sentenced to 56 years in prison.

All five men sentenced in Wednesday’s verdict have denied responsibility for the crimes.

Prosecutors have credited information from the two men who carried out the drive-by attack for uncovering the involvement of their five alleged co-conspirators.

Those suspects were previously identified as two former police officers, Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Quiroz. He was arrested in 2019 for being a double murder convict.

According to prosecutors, both men eventually signed plea agreements that led to the arrest of the Brazeau brothers. In October 2024, Lessa and Queiroz were sentenced to 78 and 59 years in prison, respectively.

Officials have also indicated that the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who returns to the presidency in 2023, has paved the way for pursuing a broader investigation.

Announcing his vote on Wednesday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes described the killings as part of a “militia modus operandi” carried out “to preserve financial gain and maintain political power.”

Meanwhile, human rights group Amnesty International called this week’s hearing a “decisive test” of Brazil’s “willingness to confront impunity”.