Brazilian activists are outraged over the drive-by assassination of outspoken critic against police corruption and Rio city council member, Marielle Franco. A series of protests have been called in the aftermath of Marielle Francos death. </s> Brazilian authorities are facing mounting pressure to identify those responsible for the murder of Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman and rights activist Marielle Franco, who was gunned down last week in what many believe was a targeted assassination.

The shooting of Franco and her driver on March 14 prompted an outpouring of anger in grief in Brazil, with tens of thousands of protestors marching through administrative districts last week. Millions more took to social media to denounce the killing.

The U.N. has called for a “thorough, transparent and independent” inquiry, which an investigating prosecutor told the is believed to be connected to Franco’s political work.

Franco, 38, was an advocate for marginalized communities, including Afro-Brazilians, LGBTQ groups and residents of the city’s sprawling , frequently spoke out against police brutality and racial inequality.

Read more: The Assassination of Brazilian Politician Marielle Franco Turned Her Into a Global Icon

The only black female representative on Rio’s city council, she had also criticized President Michel Temer’s deployment of military forces to provide security in Rio’s most dangerous slums.

On March 22, prominent figures posted an open letter demanding an independent probe. “We call for justice for Marielle Franco and the daughter and the partner she leaves behind, and for an end to the killings and criminalization of activists, government opponents and low-income people in Brazil,” they wrote. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO — A police official in Rio de Janeiro says a city council member and her driver have been shot to death by two unidentified attackers in the Brazilian city’s downtown.

The official tells The Associated Press that nine shots were fired into the car carrying Marielle Franco and her driver Wednesday night. He says it appears Franco was targeted. The official agreed to reveal details on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Franco was an expert on police violence and on Saturday accused officers of being overly aggressive in searching residents of gang-controlled shantytowns.

A member of a leftist party, Franco was known for her social work in slums and she received the fifth most votes among council members elected in 2016. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO — Police in Brazil have arrested two suspects in the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver.

The brazen assassination of the two on March 14 last year led to massive protests and widespread anger in Latin America's largest nation.

A police spokesman told The Associated Press that two men were taken into custody early Tuesday. Per agency protocol, the spokesman asked that his name not be used.

The two men arrested were former police officers, according to the police spokesman. One allegedly shot Franco and the other drove a car involved in the shooting.

Franco, who was black and a lesbian, had been a frequent critic of police violence, particularly in poor neighborhoods called favelas.

Marches are planned for Thursday, the year anniversary of the death. </s> March 15 (UPI) -- A Brazilian city councilor for the left-wing Socialism and Liberty Party was shot dead Wednesday in an ambush that's caused outrage and protests.

Councilor Marielle Franco had been speaking at an event with activists in Rio de Janeiro Wednesday evening. As she was leaving, a car pulled up and fired nine shots into her vehicle, killing Franco and her driver and wounding her press officer.

Franco, 38, was an outspoken critic of police violence and the deployment of the army into poor neighborhoods. As a young, black, lesbian female activist who grew up in the slums of Rio, she championed the underrepresented and was loved by other activists.

After news of her death, nationwide protests were scheduled with more than 70,000 people and organizations confirming planned demonstrations in Rio de Janeiro.

Franco was elected with the leftist Socialist and Freedom Party in 2016 as the fifth-most voted councilor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second-largest city with a population of more than six million.

The Socialism and Freedom Party condemned the murders, saying the organization is angry and in pain.

"Marielle's role as councilor and human rights activist is proud of all the militancy of PSOL and will be honored in the continuity of her struggle. We cannot rule out the hypothesis of political crime, that is, an execution," the party in a statement. "We demand immediate and rigorous investigation of this heinous crime. We will not shut up!" </s> Last week one of Brazil’s most courageous social leaders was brutally assassinated on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Marielle Franco, a city councilwoman and human rights defender, was shot four times in the head by unknown assailants in a passing vehicle shortly after leaving a gathering of young black activists. Her driver, Anderson Pedro Gomes, was also killed (Report, 16 March).

Long before being elected to Rio’s city council in 2016, Marielle was widely known as a tireless and fearless advocate for the rights of Afro-Brazilians, LGBT people, women and low-income communities. A gay black woman born and raised in one of Rio’s poorest neighbourhoods, she campaigned relentlessly against spiralling police violence in the city’s favelas.

Marielle’s activism earned her many powerful enemies. She vehemently challenged the impunity surrounding extrajudicial killings of black youth by security forces and, two days before her death, had denounced the police’s role in the killing of a young black man named Matheus Melo. She was a leading critic of the military intervention in Rio de Janeiro and was the head of a city commission tasked with monitoring the intervention.

We are deeply concerned and shocked by this commando-style killing of a woman who was a voice for the voiceless and a symbol of resistance to state-perpetrated violence, militarisation and anti-democratic forces. Given that Marielle’s murder bears all the hallmarks of a targeted assassination, we call for the creation of an independent commission comprised of prominent and respected national and international human rights and legal experts and tasked with carrying out an independent investigation of the murder of Marielle Franco with the full cooperation of state judicial and police authorities.

Shortly before her death, Marielle asked: “How many others will have to die before this war will end?” We call for justice for Marielle Franco and the daughter and the partner she leaves behind, and for an end to the killings and criminalisation of activists, government opponents and low-income people in Brazil.

Ava DuVernay Film-maker

Rev Jesse Jackson Civil rights activist 

Anielle Silva Sister of Marielle Franco

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Author

Arundhati Roy Author

Angela Davis Distinguished professor emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz

Janelle Monáe Singer and actress 

Edward Snowden Whistleblower and president of the Freedom of Press Foundation 

Shami Chakrabarti UK shadow attorney general

Naomi Campbell Model and activist

Ta-Nehisi Coates Author and journalist

Noam Chomsky Professor emeritus of linguistics at MIT, political theorist

Patrisse Cullors Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, LGBT activist

David Miranda First LGBT Rio city councillor, PSOL

Glenn Greenwald Journalist

Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres Daughter of the late Berta Cáceres, general coordinator of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (COPINH)

Wagner Moura Brazilian actor and director

Luciana Genro Founder of PSOL, former presidential candidate, Brazil

Marcelo Freixo Rio state representative, PSOL, Defence of Human Rights & Citizenship chair

Linda Sarsour National co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington, former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York

Ayo Obe President of Nigeria’s Civil Liberties Organisation

Baltasar Garzón International human rights lawyer

Thandie Newton Actress and activist 

Celso Amorim Former Brazilian foreign minister

Danny Glover Actor, film director, and activist 

Naomi Klein Author and journalist

Gael García Bernal Actor and director 

Shaun King Journalist and civil rights activist 

Pamela Anderson Actress and activist 

Alfonso Cuarón Film-maker

Opal Tometi Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, executive director at Black Alliance for Just Immigration 

Oliver Stone Film-maker

Yanis Varoufakis Former Greek finance minister

Viggo Mortensen Actor

Renata Avila Guatemalan human rights lawyer 

Owen Jones Journalist

Slavoj Žižek Philosopher, Birkbeck Institute for Humanities </s> On the night of March 14, Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Pedro Gomes were shot and killed in her car after leaving a black-women’s empowerment event. The killing of the human-rights activist mobilized tens of thousands of Brazilians to demand justice and sparked tributes from around the world.

Born and raised in the Maré favela, one of Rio’s most dangerous slums, 38-year-old Franco was a fierce advocate for the marginalized–including Afro-Brazilians, the poor, the LGBTQ community and women–and a critic of President Michel Temer’s federal intervention in the city. As a black, lesbian single mother, she was a minority several times over in Brazilian politics and the only black woman on Rio’s 51-member city council, having received the fifth most votes in the election that won her the seat.

Tens of thousands of people have protested Franco’s death in cities across the country, as well as in New York City, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere. Her name was mentioned in more than 3 million tweets in 54 countries over the two days following her death, often with the hashtags #MariellePresente (Marielle Is Here) and #SayHerName, the latter borrowed from Black Lives Matter activists. Some demonstrators have also used her death as a rallying cry to call for an end to systemic racism in Brazil.

What happens next

Some activists believe Franco was killed for speaking out against abuses of military and police power in Brazil, and human-rights observers have criticized what they call a culture of impunity in Brazilian law enforcement. The protests, led largely by young Brazilians, have highlighted their demands for legitimate leadership and their broader dissatisfaction with the nation’s political system. As the police continue their investigation into the apparent hit, many of Franco’s followers are looking to the October elections as an opportunity to continue her struggle.

This appears in the April 02, 2018 issue of TIME. </s> Thousands of Rio de Janeiro residents took part in the latest public demonstration over the tragic death of 38-year-old councilwoman and activist Marielle Franco on March 14. The event rocked Brazil and reignited a debate over crime, police brutality and impunity in the South American nation.

Artists, activists and Franco's sister, Anielle Silva, gathered on Tuesday in Rio and called for an independent investigation into the death of the activist, a member of the socialist party PSOL.

Read more: Brazilian councilwoman and rights activist gunned down in Rio de Janeiro

A large banner highlighted several aspects that made Franco a different kind of politician: "Marielle: Woman, mother, revolutionary, feminist, black, lesbian" it read.

Silva also defended her sister and denounced what she called "fake news" online reports that alleged that Franco had ties with drug traffickers that operated in Rio.

"Marielle was never a gangster. We were never financed by drug traffickers and she never married a gangster," said Silva. "They are not going to destroy what my sister built."

Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were traveling through Rio's dangerous north side when a vehicle pulled up beside them and gunned them down. Both died at the scene.

Four of the nine shots hit the councilwoman in the head, in what seemed like an assassination style killing. Rio police are currently coordinating with federal authorities in the investigation into the murder, which they believe was planned.

The authorities say two vehicles followed Franco's car, according to security footage, and the assailants knew exactly where she was seated when they fired the shots with a 9 millimeter pistol. One of the councilwoman's aides was also in the car and survived.

Read more: Brazil to create new ministry for public security

The murder sparked a wave of protests across Brazil. On Sunday, March 18, some 2,000 residents of the Mare favela expressed sorrow and defiance, vowing that "Marielle's voice will not be silent."

Many at the march in Mare believe that the activist was killed in an attempt to silence criticism of security forces. Marcelo Freixo, a Rio state legislator and fellow PSOL party member, called her killing "revenge and a message."

Franco's sister Anielle Silva told local media on Wednesday that Pope Francis had called her mother to express his condolences to her family. "She was so moved that she barely even processed what the pope said. She told me that he spoke Marielle's name, expressed his solidarity and said that he was praying for the family,' Silva said.

Gangs operate with near impunity in many favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Organized crime groups openly carry assault rifles, impose protection rackets on locals and recruit children as drug dealers.

Read more: Brazil: Army takes control of Rio security in bid to quash gang violence

While the police is supposed to help residents, they have also been accused by major human rights organizations of engaging in the violence and having carried out extrajudicial killings.

Franco, born and raised in the Mare favela, was an outspoken critic of police behavior and the militarization of poor communities like her own. She openly denounced police brutality up until her death.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Sao Paulo, Brazil - Two former police officers were arrested early on Tuesday morning in Rio de Janeiro over last year's murder of black activist and councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes.

Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz are accused of participating in the murders of Franco and Gomes, according to a police statement sent to Al Jazeera. Their arrest comes two days before the anniversary of the deadly drive-by shooting.

According to prosecutors, Queiroz drove the car that ambushed Franco, while Lessa fired the shots that hit the activist in her neck and head.

Lessa and Queiroz are also accused of attempted murder of Franco's press secretary, who was also in the car the night of the shooting but suffered only minor injuries.

"This is absolutely great news and I commend the local authorities", Monica Benicio, Marielle Franco's widow, told Al Jazeera over the phone.

"But the real question remains: Who ordered Marielle's killings?"

According to the prosecutor's office, "it is undisputed that Marielle Francisco da Silva was summarily executed because of the political causes that she defended."

Franco, who was a black, lesbian Rio de Janeiro councilwoman for the Socialism and Liberty Party, was born in the Mare favela. During her life and after her death she became a symbol of resistance against police brutality and the presence of armed groups in the city and throughout Brazil.

She regularly denounced police abuse and stood up for the rights of women and the LGBT community.

The questions "Who killed Marielle?" and "Who ordered Marielle's killing?" became nationwide slogans for justice for issues regarding women and black Brazilians.

Wilson Witzel, Rio de Janeiro's governor, said authorities could open a "second investigation" into Franco's murder "if necessary".

"We have done great strides and I'm sure we will move forward even more," he said.

According to police, Queiroz had been expelled from the force in 2011 after being arrested in an operation connecting police officers with armed groups and drug traffickers. Lessa retired after a bomb attempt against him. Before that, he received a distinction from Rio's parliament.

Protests marking the one year anniversary of Franco's murder are scheduled for Thursday.
Brazilian politician and outspoken police critic Marielle Franco is killed along with her driver in a drive-by shooting in Rio de Janeiro.