BRAZIL: THE JURY TRIAL IN THE CASE OF MARIELLE AND ANDERSON MAY BE A RESPONSE FROM THE STATE TO VIOLENCE AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Amnesty International Brazil reiterates that it is the duty of the Brazilian state to guarantee justice and reparation for the families and take measures to prevent such situations from happening again. Brazil continues to be one of the most dangerous places for human rights defenders. According to the Global Witness report, in 2023, the country ranked 2nd in the number of activists and environmentalists killed, with 25 deaths.  Between 2012 and 2023, 401 human rights defenders were murdered in the country

For the organization, the trial of the perpetrators is an important step, although there is a long way to full justice

More than six years after the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, the former military police officers and confessed murderers, Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, will be tried by a popular jury on October 30. The session will take place at the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice at 9am (Brasilia time). 

Amnesty International Brazil reiterates that it is the duty of the Brazilian state to guarantee justice and reparation for the families and take measures to prevent such situations from happening again. Brazil continues to be one of the most dangerous places for human rights defenders. According to the Global Witness report, in 2023, the country ranked 2nd in the number of activists and environmentalists killed, with 25 deaths.  Between 2012 and 2023, 401 human rights defenders were murdered in the country. 

The trial is an important step in a quest for justice that began six years ago. However, true justice will only be achieved when the Brazilian authorities ensure that all those responsible for the crime, including its masterminds, as well as all those responsible for any deviations and obstructions of the investigations, are also brought to justice.

In recent years, Amnesty International Brazil has monitored at least 12 cases of murders of human rights defenders, all of which have gone unpunished. Impunity for a crime like this will be a clear message of tolerance for an environment that threatens the lives of those who fight to defend human rights in Brazil.

Amnesty International’s Work

Amnesty International has been monitoring this case since the day of the crime. In pursuit of justice, the organization has mobilized sections around the world to carry out actions calling for justice in different countries, as well as pressuring authorities in different parts of the world to express their solidarity and demand justice for Marielle. Since 2020, Amnesty International Brazil has been mobilizing people around the world on March 14 (the anniversary of her death) and in July on her birthday. More than a million signatures were collected in the campaigns in support of the case, helping to draw the world’s attention. 

In 2018, Marielle and Anderson’s stories were featured in Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global campaign to promote human rights.

This year, Amnesty International published the document “Letters on the Table”, which systematizes the 6 main points for the delay in elucidating the crime, as well as 6 urgent recommendations aimed at non-repetition measures.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact press@amnesty.org