The death of Franklin Brito, the first Venezuelan to fast to death, was a consequence of "intransigence, arrogance and lack of sensibility" of Venezuelan authorities to meet the demands of the farmer who wanted to regain full ownership of his land. It represents a "serious precedent" of their behavior vis-à-vis citizens' claims.

The complaint was made by the NGO Foro por la Vida, which groups more than a dozen of non governmental organizations dedicated to human rights. In a communiqué, the NGOs regretted the farmer's death and condemned the authorities' position, arguing that "rather than ensuring life and integrity" of the hunger striker, they tried to "make him turn down his requirements."

A shared responsibility
The NGOs blamed Luisa Ortega Díaz, the Attorney General; Gabriela Ramírez, the Ombudswoman; Juan Carlos Loyo, the president of the National Lands Institute (Inti); and National Assembly deputies.

They blamed Ortega Díaz for her reluctance to investigate the irregularities committed during the expropriation of Brito's lands. They also said that the Attorney General had focused her efforts on instructing the police to take Brito to Caracas' Military Hospital against his will.

Ortega came to say that the hunger striker was not of sound mind and was mentally incompetent to make decisions.

As for the Ombudswoman, the NGOs said that Ramírez was an "accomplice" in the abuses against Brito. "She showed once again that her interests are beyond the constitutional mandate that requires her to defend the human rights of all citizens."

For his part, Inti's president Juan Carlos Loyo was accused of not handing over the documents that would formalize and explain the compensation Brito would receive for damages.

In December, Brito and Inti representatives executed an agreement to settle the issue. Some hours later, however, the Inti issued a notice denying that the Inti President had admitted that the government agency had committed any irregularity in this case. As a result, the dispute continued.

Foro por la Vida also criticized the National Assembly because some of its members joined the smear campaign against the farmer.

Finally, Alfredo Romero, a lawyer and specialist in human rights and former judge Jesús Ollarves are certain that this case will bring about legal and political consequences for the State.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas