A second scourge is battering Brazil's flooded south: Disinformation

SAO PAULO (AP) — While flooding that has devastated Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state has yet to subside, another scourge has spread across the region: disinformation on social media that has hampered desperate efforts to get aid to hundreds of thousands in need.

Among fake postings that have stirred outrage: That official agencies aren't conducting rescues in Brazil's southernmost state. That bureaucracy is holding up donations of food, water and clothing. One persistent rumor contends that authorities are concealing hundreds of corpses, said Jairo Jorge, mayor of the hard-hit city of Canoas.

Jorge and other officials say hidden actors behind the postings are exploiting the crisis to undermine trust in government.

Ary Vanazzi, mayor of Sao Leopoldo, said many people ignored official warnings and instead heeded social media posts saying government alerts “were just politicians trying to alarm people.”

"Because of that, many didn’t leave their homes in this emergency. Some might have died because of it,” Vanazzi told The Associated Press. “Sometimes we spend more time defending against lies than working to help our population.”

Floods over the past two weeks have killed at least 149 people, and more than 100 remain missing, state authorities said Wednesday. More than 600,000 people have been forced from their homes.

Brazil became a hotbed for disinformation ahead of the 2018 election won by Jair Bolsonaro. During his presidency, adversaries often found themselves fending off digital onslaughts. The Supreme Court has since launched one of the world’s most aggressive efforts to stamp out coordinated disinformation campaigns, led by one controversial justice in particular who is overseeing an investigation into the spread of false news. He has ordered social media platforms to remove dozens of accounts.

The army was spared online mudslinging during the presidency of Bolsonaro, a former captain who is a fierce opponent of his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. But it has become a target for far-right hostility under Lula, with social media users attacking military leaders for taking orders from the leftist president, said Alexandre Aragão, executive editor of fact-checking agency Aos Fatos.

Several videos posted online insinuate soldiers aren’t participating in rescues. Others mock soldiers’ supposed lack of equipment, using footage of a truck stuck in floodwaters. The general who leads the army’s southern command told CNN Brasil that one rumor claimed he was responsible for nonexistent deaths inside a hospital.

The army says it and local agencies deployed 31,000 soldiers, police and others to rescue more than 69,000 people and 10,000 animals and deliver tons of aid by air and boats. Brazil’s federal government announced it will spend nearly 51 billion reais ($10 billion) on recovery, provide credit to farmers and small companies and suspend the state’s 11-billion-reais annual debt service.

“These reports are disturbing, because they do not reflect reality,” the command said in a statement to the AP. “Many active military were also victims of these floods. Many soldiers have lost their homes after the rains and remain on the front lines helping the population.”

Prodded by complaints from military brass, Brazil’s government is appealing to social media platforms to stop the spread of misinformation, Attorney General Jorge Messias said in an interview.

As of late Tuesday, all had expressed willingness to cooperate — except X, according to Messias' office. The platform's owner, Elon Musk, recently railed against a Supreme Court justice’s decisions to restrict users’ accounts, accusing him of muzzling free speech and drawing praise from Bolsonaro and his allies. X didn't immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Messias’ office also filed a lawsuit against a social media influencer who claimed that a single businessman — and staunch Bolsonaro supporter — dispatched more aircraft to aid rescue efforts than the entire Brazilian air force. The government is demanding the right to reply on the Instagram profile of the influencer, Pablo Marçal, an outspoken critic of Lula with nearly 10 million followers.

The swarm of disinformation at a time of crisis amounts to a “tragedy within a tragedy,” Messias said. “When we stop everything to respond to fake news, we’re diverting public resources and energy away from what really matters, which is serving the public.”

Nearly one-third of people surveyed by pollster Quaest reported they were exposed to false news about the floods, according to the poll conducted from May 2-6. Conducted in 120 cities nationwide, it had a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.

Disinformation is creating a hostile environment for aid workers. Locals have accused state and municipal agents of acting too slowly and threatened to expose them online, and yelled at firefighters over reports they'd failed to rescue people and pets, according to the mayors of Sao Leopoldo and Canoas. Some people pretending to be volunteers entered a warehouse of the state's civil defense agency last week, filming aid donations inside and posting video online as supposed evidence of its failure to distribute the aid, according to the agency.

Last week, another falsehood contended authorities were halting trucks with donations, said Aragão. It was fueled by broadcaster SBT’s story about a truck stopped for inspection that, despite being overloaded, was later released. Social media posts distorted that report and claimed aid stoppages are a widespread phenomenon. The case was demonstrative, Aragão added.

“When there is a tragedy with the dimensions of what happened in Rio Grande do Sul, of course there will be isolated cases of absurd things,” he said by phone from Sao Paulo. “Social media sells those real and isolated cases as though they represent official protocol.”

Janine Bargas has been working nonstop on the disaster as a professor at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre in the state capital. Initially, her duties included providing reliable information, such as telling people where they could find needed medication.

Misinformation became so intense that her job now includes monitoring and debunking it. That has included recommendations for a bogus preventive treatment for a waterborne bacterial disease.

“The same anti-vaccine doctors who were recommending chloroquine during COVID started promoting a prophylaxis for leptospirosis,” Bargas told the AP, adding that panic over the reports erupted in a shelter managed by university staff. “People started fighting, asking for the medication. And this medication’s dosage can be very toxic for the liver."

Jorge, the mayor of Canoas, became a target of disinformation just hours after the floods began. A post, shared millions of times on messaging apps, showed a brawl it said took place at a shelter in Canoas because of a decree that all donations pass through City Hall. The brawl actually took place in Ceara state, on the opposite side of the vast country, and Jorge issued no such decree.

The falsehoods are “orchestrated, aimed at making people stop believing in public agents,” he said. “Whenever a natural disaster happens, there’s a wave of solidarity. But not this time; there’s also a wave of anger caused by disinformation.”

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Military move through the yard preparing donations for humanitarian aid for victims and people who lost their homes from floods caused by heavy rains in the cities of the Rio Grande do Sul state, at the Air Base in Brasilia, Brazil, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Vehicles are partially submerged on a street flooded by heavy rains in Sao Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

People rest in a shelter after their homes were flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

A firefighter carries a girl rescued from an area flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

The city of Porto Alegre is flooded after heavy rain in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

A resident pulls belongings he recovered from his flooded home after heavy rain in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

A Brazilian soldier carries a dog after rescuing it from a flooded area after heavy rain in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

A dog, evacuated from an area flooded by heavy rains, barks at a shelter in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Residents rest in a makeshift shelter for people whose homes were flooded by heavy rains, in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

Beira Rio stadium is flooded after heavy rain in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

Military prepare to load supplies on an Air Force plane, to transport to victims and people who lost their homes from floods caused by heavy rains in the cities of the Rio Grande do Sul state, at the Air Base in Brasilia, Brazil, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Firefighters evacuate people from a flooded area after heavy rain in Sao Sebastiao do Cai, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Macedo)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A judge on Thursday handed down long sentences to two former police officers for the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco, an icon of Brazil’ s political left whose killing sparked outrage.

Ronnie Lessa and Élcio de Queiroz were sentenced to almost 79 years and almost 60 years, respectively, for the March 14, 2018 drive-by shooting that killed Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes. Jurors found that Lessa fired the gun and de Queiroz was the wheelman on the night of the crime.

Lessa and de Queiroz, arrested in 2019, previously signed plea bargains confessing their roles, but the jury had final word on their guilt on homicide and other charges. The verdict, although expected, comes as a measure of solace to the many who saw the martyrdom of the Black, bisexual woman as an attack on democracy, and worried that the crime would go unpunished.

The prosecutors had argued each man should be sentenced to the maximum possible 84 years for the three counts — double homicide, attempted homicide and driving a cloned vehicle.

As Judge Lucia Glioche finished reading the sentence, applause erupted in the room as victims’ families began to cry. Marielle’s sister, Anielle Franco, Brazil’s minister for racial equality, held a long, tearful embrace with her parents and Marielle’s daughter, Luyara Franco. Her father rested his head on the chest of former congressman Marcelo Freixo, who was her political mentor.

Brazilian law does not allow for life imprisonment, and each man will serve no more than 30 years of their sentences. Due to their sealed plea bargains, local media has reported that Queiroz and Lessa may serve 12 and 18 years in prison, respectively, including time already served. Prosecutors have denied their sentenced would be reduced.

Either way, Thursday’s sentencing is seen as only a step toward justice being done, with another trial yet to come for the men accused of ordering her killing. They will also have to pay 706,000 reais ($122,000) in moral damages to several of the victims’ family members and provide an allowance to the young son of Gomes until he turns 24, according to a statement on the court's website.

Known universally by her first name, Marielle, she was raised in one of Rio’s poor communities known as favelas. She became known for her efforts to improve the lives of ordinary residents. Following her election in 2016, she fought against violence targeting women while defending human rights and social programs.

Testimony Wednesday during the first day of the trial offered details about the moments preceding and following the shooting. Franco’s assistant and friend who was also in the car, Fernanda Chaves, was among those giving testimony, as was Franco’s mother and her partner Mônica Benício.

Choked up and often unable to talk, Benício said the last thing Marielle ever said to her was “I love you.”

“We had plans to get married with a wedding party. When Marielle died, what I felt was that they had taken away our promise of the future,” she said, later adding that the right to a just city was one of Marielle’s causes.

“Marielle also defended the right to decent housing from the perspective of the favela, the periphery, this was the theme of the city’s rights agenda.”

Both defendants participated in the trial by videoconference from prison. Lessa is in Sao Paulo while de Queiroz is in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia.

Federal authorities started investigating the case in earnest once leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2023.

With Lessa and de Queiroz sentenced, attention will now turn to the men accused of ordering the hit: two brothers with purported ties to criminal groups known as militias, which illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.

Guilhermo Catramby, a Federal Police detective, told the court Wednesday that the assassination was “undoubtedly” motivated by Marielle’s work regarding land rights, especially in the west side of Rio de Janeiro. Her work there was “a thorn in the side of militia interests,” Catramby said.

In March, Federal Police detained the two brothers, federal lawmaker Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazão, a member of Rio state’s accounts watchdog. They have denied any involvement in the killing or with militias and have yet to go on trial.

In his plea bargain, Lessa told police that the politician brothers hired him and informed him that the then-chief of the state’s civil police, Rivaldo Barbosa, had signed off beforehand. Barbosa, who also denies any involvement, was arrested in March.

Marielle’s family and Ágatha Arnaus, widow of Gomes, spoke to journalists after the trial. Holding hands, they said that while the conviction offered some reparation after years of struggle and pain, it was just the first step in a long journey toward justice.

“I wanted my mother here, but today will certainly go down in this country’s democratic history,” said Luyara, the councilwoman’s daughter, holding back tears.

“If the justice system had not convicted these two cruel murderers, we wouldn’t have a moment of peace. But this doesn’t end here,” said Antonio Francisco da Silva, Marielle’s father. “There are those who ordered the crime. Now the question is: when will those who ordered it be convicted?”

Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.

People attend a rally prior to the trial of former Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco's alleged killers outside the Court of Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

A woman shouts demanding justice before the start of the trial of councilwoman Marielle Franco’s suspected murderers, outside the Court of Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Former military police officers, shown on screen, from left, Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Queiroz attend via video conference their trial where they are accused of murdering city councilwoman Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes, at the Court of Justice in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

People gather demanding justice before the start of the trial of councilwoman Marielle Franco’s suspected murderers, outside the Court of Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Anielle Franco, left back, and her mother Marinete Silva, center, family members of of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco, arrive to the Court of Justice to attend the trial of Franco’s suspected murderers, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Mother of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco, Marinete Silva, right center, and Luyara Santos, left center, daughter of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco, accompanied by other family members, arrive to follow the trial of former city councilwoman Marielle Franco's alleged killers, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Monica Benicio, center, widow of slain councilwoman Marielle Franco, arrives to the Court of Justice to attend the trial of Franco's suspected murderers, in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A demonstrator embraces a child while holding a sign with a message that reads in Portuguese: "I want justice for Marielle and Anderson", before the start of the trial of councilwoman Marielle Franco’s suspected murderers, outside the Court of Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Advisor to slain city councilwoman Marielle Franco, Fernanda Goncalves Chaves, pictured on screen, testifies during the trial of Franco's suspected murderers, at the Court of Justice in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

An activist wearing a T-shirt with the image of former city councilwoman Marielle Franco attends a rally prior to the trial for Franco's alleged killers, outside the Court of Justice, in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)