BRAZIL: AUTHORITIES MUST CLARIFY ALARMING REPORTS OVER KILLING OF MARIELLE FRANCO

Leaking information and inaccurate disclosures only aggravate the suffering of those waiting for answers

Responding to reports about the killing of the human rights defender Marielle Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, in the Brazilian press yesterday, Jurema Werneck, executive director of Amnesty International Brazil, said:

“The latest revelations reported in the Brazilian media raise alarming new questions in an investigation that has dragged on for almost 600 days. The authorities must provide prompt, transparent and exhaustive explanations and ensure that investigators have access to all available evidence, such as any CCTV footage from the Vivendas da Barra condominium.”

“The leaking of dribs and drabs of information and imprecise disclosures only worsen the suffering of those awaiting answers. We hope this is not a strategy to further delay the solving of this crime. The investigators must be rigorous in ascertaining the facts. Marielle Franco’s family, Brazilian society and the global community demand a definitive answer: who ordered the killing of Marielle and why?”