Five years after Rio councilwoman slain, questions and hope

By ELÉONORE HUGHES
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Supporters gathered Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro to mark five years since the assassination of Black, bisexual councilwoman Marielle Franco amid hope that investigations into her death will accelerate under Brazil’s new leftist president. The rising political star and her driver were killed in central Rio on the evening of March 14, 2018. Known universally by her first name, Marielle was a fierce defender of human rights, particularly in the favela where she was born and raised, and after her death she became a martyr and symbol of left-wing resistance. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has strived to honor Marielle’s memory and move the investigation forward.