The First Chamber of Brazil's Supreme Court began a trial on Tuesday against the five accused of planning and ordering the murder of councilwoman and social activist Marielle Franco, which occurred on March 14, 2018. The collegiate body, currently composed of four justices, scheduled two days of hearings in Brasilia to deliver a verdict in this case that caused a great national and international commotion. Among the accused are Domingos Brazão, a councilor of Rio de Janeiro's Court of Accounts, and his brother João “Chiquinho” Brazão, a former federal deputy. The shooter and an accomplice were sentenced to long prison terms in 2024. According to the prosecution, Franco opposed in the city council proposals pushed by the Brazão brothers to legalize the appropriation of land by militias, criminal groups that control large sectors of Rio. Hailing from a favela and a left-wing figure, Franco defended the rights of residents of poor neighborhoods, especially young black people, women, and members of the LGBT community. Anielle Franco, the councilwoman's sister and current Minister of Racial Equality in Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's (PT) government, is attending the trial in Brasilia with other family members. “It is unacceptable for a councilwoman to be killed,” she added.
