‘The Jenife Case’: Protest in Bolivia demands justice for murdered Brazilian student
07 de April de 2025
By Marcela Leiros – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – Family and friends of Brazilian student Jenife Silva, 36, who was murdered in Bolivia this week, are organising a protest to be held on Tuesday, the 8th, to demand justice and call for respect for the rights of foreigners in the neighbouring country.
The protest will take place from 4 p.m. (Santa Cruz time), at the foot of the Christ the Redeemer monument, at the intersection of Cristóbal de Mendoza, Cristo Redentor, and Monseñor Rivero avenues, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
“We demand justice for Jenife, the Brazilian woman murdered in her flat. We demand that the rights of foreign residents in Bolivia be respected,” reads the protest’s announcement.
A close friend of Jenife Silva, Bolivian national Cristian Wilde, told CENARIUM that Bolivian laws do not ensure the rights of foreigners, and one of the aims of the protest is to change that reality.
“We demand justice for Jenife’s death and call for respect for Brazilian citizens living in Bolivia, whose rights are being violated. The consulate does not protect them; they wash their hands of it,” he stated. “We want to change the laws for foreigners in Bolivia. Nothing protects them and no one looks after them, yet many have studied for years and are fighting for a dream.”
This will be the second protest organised in the country calling for justice for Jenife’s death. On Friday, the 4th, friends and classmates of the university student gathered in front of the Palace of Justice to attend the hearing of the main suspect in the crime, the 16-year-old teenager J.D.R.F. “Justice for Jenife,” read the posters at the protest. “Jenife’s death must not go unpunished,” chanted those present.
The teenager was remanded in custody for 45 days. The moment he left the Palace of Justice was recorded by protesters at the scene.
Understanding the case
Originally from Santana (AP), Jenife do Socorro Almeida da Silva was in Bolivia to complete her medical degree. She lived in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where she studied for six years. The university student’s body was found on Wednesday, the 2nd, in the flat where she lived, in the Vale Azul neighbourhood. Jenife left behind two children.
Authorities are investigating a suspected femicide. The initial investigation by the Bolivian Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the student died from mechanical asphyxiation, according to a forensic autopsy report. Another report also showed that the victim had been raped and stabbed.
According to a friend, Jenife met the suspect on Sunday, 30th March, at the Plaza 24 de Septiembre, considered the city’s main tourist landmark. Two days later, on Tuesday, the 1st, she attended a class at the University of Aquino Bolivia (Udabol), and afterwards met up with the young man.
Still according to friends, the last “sign of life” from Jenife Silva was on Tuesday evening, when she was online on the WhatsApp messaging app. The following day, one of her children was also looking for news of their mother. Worried, a friend, identified as Andressa, went to the student’s flat in the Vale Azul neighbourhood, where she was informed that the body had been found and taken away by the authorities.
Jenife’s friends say they are concerned that the perpetrator of the crime may go unpunished, as he allegedly comes from a wealthy and influential family in the country. The family owns a food truck square in Santa Cruz, as well as other businesses such as a jewellery shop.
“She was the victim of femicide in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and the murderer is supposedly a minor. But Bolivian police are extremely corrupt, and since the family is wealthy, everything about this case feels suspicious and lacking in information. Please, we need the support of the Brazilian media to get answers. Without media attention, nothing will be done against a rich family,” said one friend.
“Jenife was not just another statistic. She was a mother, daughter, and friend,” added Cristian Wilde.
