The family of quilombola leader Maria Bernadete Pacifico, better known as Mãe Bernadete, filed a lawsuit seeking R$11.8 million in compensation. The case was filed against the Union and the government of Bahia and the amount would be compensation for the leader’s three grandchildren who witnessed her murder, which took place in August 2023, when she was 72 years old. She was killed with at least 25 shots.
Mother Bernadete was one of the figures at the forefront of the resistance struggles of Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares, located in the city of Simões Filho, metropolitan region of Salvador. She was a yalorixá, that is, a priestess of a Candomblé terreiro, in addition to playing a prominent role in the political articulation of her community.
According to the Public Ministry of Bahia, the leader’s execution consisted of a form of retaliation, as she had stood against a group that intended to build a shack that would serve as a drug selling point within the community.
Four of the five men denounced by the body would be part of a faction. They are Ydney Carlos dos Santos de Jesus, Marílio dos Santos, Arielson da Conceição Santos and Josevan Dionísio dos Santos. The latter two were identified as the perpetrators of the shooting.
The fifth defendant, Sérgio Ferreira, is the stepfather of Marílio dos Santos. His participation would have significant weight in the case, as it appears that he was the one who provided information and guidance to the perpetrators of the murder. Authorities are also investigating a sixth man, Carlos Conceição Santiago, accused of having stored the weapons used in the crime.
THE Brazil Agency He contacted the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) and the government of Bahia and is awaiting a response.
