Raquel Lyra Files Police Reports Over Posters Accusing Her of Killing Her Husband

Posters accusing Pernambuco Governor Raquel Lyra of killing her husband appeared on streets in Recife, turning a personal tragedy into a new flashpoint in the state’s election campaign.

Lyra filed police reports with the Federal Police and Pernambuco’s Civil Police after the material was found in the Bairro do Recife. The posters described her as having killed businessman Fernando Lucena to win the election and used a montage placing Lyra alongside Flordelis dos Santos Souza and Elize Matsunaga, both convicted of killing their partners.

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Respect my family, respect my children, respect those who are no longer here, respect my pain.

Lucena died at 44 on the day of the first round of the 2022 elections after a sudden illness. A filing by Lyra’s coalition with the Electoral Public Prosecutor’s Office said his death had natural causes and showed no suspicion of criminal action. Her lawyers asked authorities to preserve public and private camera footage near the locations, identify the printer or supplier and interview people who found the material.

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absurd

Lyra described the posters as a cruel attack. "Respect my family, respect my children, respect those who are no longer here, respect my pain," she said in a video. Her campaign called the episode another instance of political violence.

João Campos, her opponent in the race for governor, called the posters "absurd" and denied any connection to them. He said he had lost his father during an election and would not accept attacks on any family. His coalition also asked prosecutors to investigate. The Regional Electoral Court of Pernambuco ordered three posts removed after they suggested Campos’s political group was responsible for the posters. One belonged to federal lawmaker Mendonça Filho, who said he had removed it and replaced it with a message reaffirming support for Lyra.

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I lost my father during an election, the candidate Raquel lost her husband during an election, and I will not accept either my family or any family being attacked in this election.