A black community leader in northeastern Brazil known for her fight against racism was shot dead by masked gunmen, authorities said Friday, drawing condemnation from activists and government officials.
Maria Bernadete Pacifico, a widely respected leader of Brazil's "quilombos" -- black communities founded by runaway slaves -- was gunned down Thursday by two men in motorcycle helmets who burst into a building at the Pitanga dos Palmares quilombo, near the city of Salvador, the Bahia state security ministry said.
Widely known as "Mae (Mama) Bernadete," Pacifico, 72, was coordinator of Brazil's national council of quilombos (CONAQ), a former racial equality minister for the northeastern city of Simoes Filho and an Afro-Brazilian religious leader.
She had also fought for justice for the murder of her son, Flavio Gabriel Pacifico dos Santos, a fellow community leader who was himself gunned down six years ago.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed his "grief and concern" over her killing.
"We expect a rigorous investigation," the veteran leftist said in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lula said his racial equality and human-rights ministries had sent representatives to accompany the investigation. The women's ministry meanwhile condemned the "brutal murder" in a statement.
The chief justice of the Supreme Court, Rosa Weber, recalled meeting the slain community leader less than a month ago during a visit to Bahia.
"She told me about the violence quilombo residents face and the pain of losing her son, who was shot 14 times, a case that has still not been resolved," Weber said in a statement, calling for an "urgent" investigation.
Brazilian media said Pacifico had reported receiving threats from farmers, who have frequent land disputes with quilombo and Indigenous communities.
Founded by escaped slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries, Brazil's estimated 3,500 quilombos are home to 1.3 million people, according to 2022 census figures.
The communities remain a symbol of resistance and the fight against racism in Brazil, which was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, in 1888.