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March 15, 2018

Brazilian Human Rights Activist Marielle Franco Killed in Apparent Assassination
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In Brazil, prominent human rights activist and city councilmember
Marielle Franco and her driver were shot dead as they drove through
downtown Rio de Janeiro Wednesday. Police say two unknown assailants
remain at large in the double murder, which also left Franco's press
officer injured. Franco was a black woman, and a member of the LGBTQ
community from one of Rio's poorest neighborhoods. In 2016, she was
elected to the Rio City Council under the Socialism and Liberty Party.
Franco was a longtime critic of Brazil's police, who've been linked to
hundreds of killings and thousands of incidents of brutality in Rio's
impoverished favela neighborhoods.


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