Brazil police officers indicted in murder of Rio councilwoman

Saturday, 16 March 2019 11:15

Two former police officers in Brazil are set to face a criminal trial in the murder of a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman.

Ronnie Lessa and Elcio de Queiroz were arrested days before the first anniversary of the deaths of Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes.

A judge has ordered a freeze on any assets held by the men.

Before she was killed, Franco was critical of Rio's police forced for their gang-busting operations in the city’s slums.

Both Lessa and de Queiroz's lawyers say their client did not commit the crimes.

More from International

Saudi Arabia shuts key oil pipeline after drone attack

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline on Friday after it was hit in a drone attack, disrupting a key route used to bypass shipping problems in the Strait of Hormuz.
BRICS members agree joint declaration at New Delhi summit

BRICS members agreed on a joint declaration on Saturday, expected to condemn unilateral aggression by any country without naming individual states, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Death toll in Philippine ferry fire rises to 76 as rescuers recover more remains

Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire, authorities said on Saturday, raising the death toll to 76 and leaving 13 people unaccounted for, as forensic teams faced the daunting task of identifying the victims.
Russian attacks kill six, injure dozens in Ukraine, Moscow says it hits ships, plants

Russian air strikes in several Ukrainian regions on Saturday killed six people, injured dozens and damaged residential buildings and infrastructure across the country, officials said.
Explosion hits another weapons site in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is investigating the cause of a fire at a weapons storage facility operated by EMCO, including the possibility of sabotage and a link to a previous blaze at another of the company's facilities in August, the interior minister said.