'Federalization, amidst what is happening in the country, is reckless,' says Marielle's mother.

Current Brazil Network - More than two years after the assassination of councilwoman Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes, the 3rd section of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) will judge this Wednesday (27) whether the crime will cease to be investigated by the state authorities of Rio de Janeiro. to be taken over by federal agencies. The request for transfer of jurisdiction was made in 2019 by the then Attorney General of the Republic, Raquel Dodge. 

Citing flaws in the investigations by local agencies, Dodge requested the federalization of the case on his last day in office. The current Attorney General, Augusto Aras, accepted the request, which was put on the agenda this Wednesday by the rapporteur, Minister Laurita Vaz.

With federalization, the investigations and the process would no longer be led by state authorities. In that case, they would become the responsibility of the Federal Police, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Federal Court. In the request, the then-prosecutor speaks of "inertia" on the part of the Rio de Janeiro agencies, but the councilwoman's family disputes Dodge's opinion.

Marielle's family opposes federalization.

In an interview with Marilu Cabañas and Glauco Faria on Brazil NewspaperMarinete Silva, Marielle's mother, a lawyer and member of the board of the Marielle Franco Institute, emphasizes that the family and civil society organizations are opposed to federalization for several reasons. Among them is the fact that the change in jurisdiction could interrupt several points that are already advanced in the investigation. In practice, this would mean starting from scratch a case whose investigation has lasted more than two years, but which has progressed since the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) of the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor's Office took over, according to Marinete.

“We understand that the work being done here (in Rio), together with the prosecutors and the Homicide Division, is work that has yielded positive results. So there is no need for what happened here to cease being the responsibility of the state where everything happened and pass to the federal level,” she explains. According to Marinete, the Federal Police “has always been involved in the process. I even had the opportunity to see and meet several agents working together with the Homicide Division,” she says. 

#NoFederalization campaign

The Black Coalition for Rights, Marielle and Anderson's partners, and more than 150 social movements have also signed a manifesto against the federalization of the case. The #FederalizationNo campaign is promoting a Twitter storm starting at 13 PM this Wednesday.

Marielle's mother also fears that, given the current scenario and recent political events, which raise suspicions of interference by the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, in the work of the Federal Police, the investigation into who ordered the assassination may be at risk. 

“This goes into the political arena, and we are seeing a very large intervention at the level of the Federal Police, throughout Brazil. Here in Rio, it's public knowledge that there's something very particular going on in relation to the federal government. Nothing has been proven, but we understand that federalization, at this moment, amidst what is happening in the country, is reckless. And it's reckless because imagine starting a study in a process of this size, a process that has several lines of investigation,” Marinete emphasizes. 

The militia and the Bolsonaro clan

So far, the investigation has identified retired military police officer Ronnie Lessa and former military police officer Elcio Queiroz as the perpetrators. Both allegedly received orders from the so-called "Crime Office." This group of hitmen and militiamen is headed by former BOPE officer – the deadliest police force in Rio – Adriano Magalhães da Nóbrega. Assassinated in February of this year, the militiaman had already been honored twice by current Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Republicanos-RJ), the president's son, in the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj).  

Investigated for a kickback scheme during his time as a state deputy, coordinated by his former aide Fabrício Queiroz, Flávio Bolsonaro also employed the mother and wife of the head of the "Escritório do Crime" (Office of Crime) in his office. Nóbrega is considered a key figure in understanding the Bolsonaro family's relationship with the militias. 

It's not a hate crime.

Without these confirmations, the family does not rule out the connection. And they dispute one of the lines of investigation that points to Marielle's murder as a "hate crime," which would explain why Lessa acted as a "lone wolf." 

“The crime, the way it was committed, was totally orchestrated by a mastermind behind it all. And after everything we heard in that (ministerial) meeting, we can only imagine what could happen to this case if it reaches the federal level. So it's a concern. This cannot go unpunished; Marielle and Anderson cannot become just another statistic. My daughter was doing her duty, she was working. It's unacceptable that this goes unpunished,” she argues.

"The whole world wants to know, and everyone wants to know who ordered my daughter's murder and why. This is paramount for us," concludes Marielle's mother.