“How many ‘Marielles’ "?

The conviction of those who ordered the assassination of Marielle Franco by Brazil’s Supremo Tribunal Federal represents a landmark moment for Brazilian democracy.

But this judgment is not only about criminal accountability. It exposes the severity of political violence against women in Brazil.

In her vote, Justice Cármen Lúcia posed a question that resonates far beyond the courtroom:

“How many ‘Marielles’ will Brazil allow to be assassinated before the very idea of Justice is restored in this nation of so many indignities?”

This question compels us to confront a structural problem.

The execution of an elected woman, while exercising her mandate, is the most extreme expression of gender-based political violence. Before it, there is a well-known trajectory. Constant delegitimization. Threats. Hate speech. Attempts at moral and professional disqualification. The implicit message that certain women occupy spaces that were never meant for them.

Cármen Lúcia stated something that encapsulates this reality:

“We, women, even I, a white woman, even I, a Justice, are more reference points than subjects of rights. Killing one of us is much easier. Killing physically, killing morally, killing professionally.”

Political violence against women was formally criminalized in Brazil through Law 14,192 of 2021, which recognizes and seeks to curb practices that constrain, threaten, or prevent women from fully exercising their political rights. The existence of the law is an institutional step forward. Its effective enforcement remains a challenge.

Data from Brazil’s Electoral Court and civil society organizations indicate a rise in reported cases of gender-based political violence in recent electoral cycles. Black women are among those most affected.

When a woman is murdered for her political action, it is not only a mandate that is attacked. It is the very idea of democratic representation, as well as the freedom to advocate for causes and exercise political direction without fear.

The Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms that violence cannot serve as an instrument of political dispute. Yet the question remains.

How many more women will be threatened, silenced, or attacked before the State and society fully recognize women as subjects of rights and power?

Justice is the minimum requirement.

Democracy demands that women be able to exercise leadership without that choice putting their lives at risk.