Marielle Franco: the living memory of a woman who disturbed the established order

On Wednesday , February 25, 2026 , a major court decision brought back to the forefront a name that millions refuse to forget: Marielle Franco . A panel of Brazil's Federal Supreme Court sentenced former congressman Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazão to 76 years in prison , finding them guilty of ordering the assassination of the Rio city councilwoman on March 14, 2018 , as well as that of her driver , Anderson Gomes .

This conviction does not close a story: it confirms what Marielle was already denouncing during her lifetime — the collusion between political power, armed violence and militias in certain territories of Rio de Janeiro.

At United Souls , we believe that memory is not a mausoleum. It is a tool. A banner. A presence in the streets, in bodies, in everyday life. So today, we pay tribute to Marielle — and we proudly reaffirm: the struggle continues .

A Black voice, an LGBT+ voice, a voice of the people

Marielle Franco was not “just another elected official.” She was a Black woman from a working-class neighborhood who became a city councilor in Rio de Janeiro and one of the most promising political figures of her generation. She carried a rare voice because she came from a place that is often silenced: that of people who experience, on a daily basis, structural racism, state violence, and social contempt.

A human rights activist, she courageously denounced police violence , executions, and impunity. Her message was clear: when fear governs, democracy recedes.

Why was she killed?

According to the Supreme Court, the assassination was ordered in retaliation for her political action, and in particular for what she threatened to disrupt: the interests of criminal and militia networks and their relays.

This case has highlighted deep links between certain political figures, militias and territorial control mechanisms — to the point of illuminating, beyond the crime, a central question: what is the value of a democracy when armed groups dictate the law to entire neighborhoods?

Marielle's murder was not just an execution. It was a message. A warning to all those who, like her, refuse to remain silent.

March 14, 2018: A global shock, a planetary outrage

The day after her death, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Brazil and around the world. Her name became a rallying cry: “Marielle, presente!” — a way of saying that you can assassinate a body, but not a cause.

Eight years of waiting, obstacles, silences, and shadows. And finally, this historic conviction: an important step against impunity, even if no verdict can "repair" the irreparable.

United Souls: circulating memory in the public space

United Souls is part of a duty to remember : to keep alive the memory of those whose struggles illuminate our present.

It is in this spirit that we pay tribute to Marielle Franco through a work by the artist Amandine Szczepaniak .

A symbolic work: restoring what was taken from him

In this interpretation, Amandine trades the magnificence of Marielle's afro hair for five flowers from Brazil , five colors, five fragments of life.

• Blue : his youth
• Rose : her sexuality
• Violet : her spirit
• Red : his passion
• Orange : its pride

This “vision” is an attempt at restitution : to give back to Marielle—and to the Brazilian people—what a political crime sought to confiscate. Art does not replace justice, but it refuses erasure. It keeps faces standing.

Keeping Marielle alive, here and now

Keeping Marielle alive is not just about sharing a date or a portrait. It's about refusing to let her struggle be transformed into a mere icon.

It's asking uncomfortable questions:

• Who controls the force, and in whose service?
• Why are some lives considered “sacrificial”?
• What becomes of politics when it becomes intertwined with fear?
• How can we protect those who defend human rights, Black people, and LGBT+ people?

Memory only has meaning if it is transformed into vigilance, solidarity, and action.

At United Souls, we wear the faces of real people. Not imaginary superheroes, but women and men whose courage has left its mark. Marielle Franco is one of them.

Today, in the wake of this historic conviction, we say:

• Marielle is not a memory.
• Marielle is a presence.
• Marielle is a compass.

And as long as racism, political violence and threats against minorities exist, we will continue to circulate his memory — proudly.

Marielle is present. The struggle continues.