Marielle Franco was a human rights activist, a feminist and a leading voice in the black rights movement in Brazil. She was popular – the fifth most voted for councilperson in Rio de Janeiro (with 46,000 votes). She was young – only 38 years old. She was honest – a breath of fresh air in the corrupt world of Brazilian politics.

But on the evening of Wednesday, March 14, she was fatally shot.

Marielle was leaving an event, Black Women Changing Power Structures, when an unidentified vehicle approached the car she was in and opened fire, killing her and her driver Anderson Pedro Gomes. Nine shots were fired in total. Marielle was shot four times in the head. A press officer sitting in the back seat of the car was also injured, but survived.

Marielle’s killing was political.

Full article at Al Jazeera’s website. Date of publication 21/04/2018.