Juan Mari Brás

Juan Mari Brás
Mari Brás after receiving the first Certificate of Citizenship of Puerto Rico, September 14, 2007
Born(1927-12-02)December 2, 1927
DiedSeptember 10, 2010(2010-09-10) (aged 82)
NationalityPuerto Rican
EducationFlorida Southern College, American University
Organization(s)Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP), Hostosian National Independence Movement

Juan Mari Brás (December 2, 1927 – September 10, 2010) was a Puerto Rican politician who advocated for Puerto Rican independence. He also founded the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. On October 25, 2006, he became the first person to receive a Puerto Rican citizenship certificate from the Puerto Rico State Department. His son, Santiago Mari Pesquera, was assassinated by a suspected far-right activist in 1976. In 2009, documents revealed that the FBI knew of a plot to assassinate Mari Brás but did not share the information with him.