Brazil President Accused of Masterminding Assassination of Activist, Denies

Adeyinka Olaiya/

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s democratically elected president has declared war on what he called bad journalism after he was linked to the death of a legislator and human rights activist, Marielle Franco.

Marielle Franco, an African Brazilian activist, was cut down in a hail of bullets along with her driver on March 14, 2018.

The assassination caused commotion in the Latin American country after the suspected killers were later arrested but the mastermind behind the execution remained elusive.

The leading Television station in Brazil, Globo TV, yesterday exclusively reported the latest investigation regarding the crime on the national news linking the leader of the gang to be the President of the Federal Repúblic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro who was at the time of the crime a federal legislator.

The President who is on a visit to the Asian countries in search of business opportunities for the country reacted terribly to the report saying that Globo TV is a bandit television working towards his downfall.

He said that the police and the television station had alleged that one of the assassins who was a former police officer and who was also living in the same estate where the President lived before his election, was confirmed to have visited the Presidents apartment few hours before the assassination was committed.

This affirmation, according to the police and the television station, was allegedly revealed by the chief security of the estate who said he himself attended to the assassin who requested a visit to the President’s apartment. He said he called the apartment and who responded to him was the President and the supposed assassin was allowed the access to the estate.

The President, who spoke to the journalist from Saudi Arabia where he is on a visit, said, “How could I have attended to the Chief Security’s call in my apartment if I was at that moment in the legislative house in Brasilia, Federal Capital Territory with my thumbprint registered at the reception of the legislative house? This is the handwork of the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Wilson Witzel. They are searching for my downfall. They are my opposition. Thank God my presence in the legislative house has saved me from false accusation. I will not sign the renewal of the activities of the Globo TV station come 2022 if the requirements necessary for the approval are not met.”

Marielle Franco was a legislator, a sociologist, an Afro-Brazilian and human rights activist who was defending the less privileged in Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil. She was also a defender of the African religion and was always at loggerheads with rightist who would not want her to fight the cause of the less privileged.

Ex-Police officers, Ronnie Lesser and Élcio Queiroz, have since been arrested as the assassins.

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