August 30

Brito dies waiting for an aswer from President Chávez
Fears of Franklin Brito's supporters came true. Since 2009, the grower went on a number of hunger strikes to defend what he deemed his right to ownership. He died on August 30, approximately at 9:00 p.m., at the Intensive Care Unit of the Caracas Military Hospital.

The information was confirmed by his wife Elena Rodríguez de Brito. During a telephone conversation, she told El Universal that doctors advised her about her partner's death, but gave no further details about the cause.

Apparently, a myocardial infarction ended with Brito, 49. Since August 20, he remained unconscious as a result of induced coma.

"It seems he had a heart attack. Doctors tried to resuscitate him, but they could not make it," Franklin Jr. told El Universal.

His wife mentioned that one hour before dying, she had seen her husband. According to her, he was "tough, very cold."

Brito's health had lately deteriorated. "My father collapsed and was inserted a tube due to respiratory failure, widespread infection, pneumonia and deterioration of vital organs such as liver and kidneys," his daughter Ángela said in a press release posted on the website on August 22.

His height was 1.90 meters, but ended up weighting 35 kilograms only. His BMI was under 10 percent and he had critical hypothermia.

Brito's brother Héctor told reporters late on August 30 that they should wait until August 31 in the morning to receive the body of his brother.

Brito left a wife and four children. He died waiting for President Hugo Chávez to take a stance about his case. In 2003, he resolved to stage a protest because of squatting and seizure of his lands located in the peasant settlement of La Tigrera in southern Bolívar state.

August 31

Opposition leader: "Brito was victim of government's agrarian policies"
Delsa Solórzano, the coordinator of the Human Rights Committee of the Democratic Unified Panel, on behalf of the democratic alternative, expressed sorrow for the death of Franklin Brito and regretted that the farmer "died victim of the outrageous government's agrarian policies."

In a press release from the Unified Panel, Solórzano held the government primarily accountable for the case. She added that the right to protest in Venezuela has become an offense.

"Brito opted for hunger strike in an attempt at enforcing his rights. Rather than being heard by the government and government agencies, he was repressed and subject to the jurisdiction of a criminal court, as if it he had committed some crime."

Venezuelan State could get in trouble over death of hunger striker
In the opinion of attorney Alfredo Romero, the death of Franklin Brito will bring about legal consequences for the State, both in and out of the country.

Romero said that the State had to make a deal with Brito instead of using a "manipulation scheme," where even testimonies were used to discredit him.

He recalled that Brito was admitted to the Military Hospital against his will.

The lawyer, a specialist in human rights, said that several issues in the case must be analyzed, namely: "unlawful detention of an individual."

Government claims that it supported Franklin Brito at any time
The national government supported at any time farmer Franklin Brito, who went on hunger strike and died of a heart attack on August 30, Minister of Agriculture Juan Carlos Loyo said.

He clarified that the seizure of the premises of the deceased farmer was never in government plans, as alleged by private media.

Loyo added that Brito's "good will was used" by the opposition for political purposes and this attitude had "endangered his life."

He reported that he recently visited Brito at the Military Hospital.

September 01

US "saddened" by death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito
Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State, said on August 31 that the United States is saddened by the death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito, who had been on a hunger strike in protest for the expropriation of his lands by the government of President Hugo Chávez.

"We are saddened to hear of Mr. Brito's passing and we extend our condolences to his family," said Crowley, as reported by AFP. He stressed that Washington "did follow his case closely." But he simply added that the United States would "leave it to the Government of Venezuela to explain."

Brito, 49, died on August 30 at the Military Hospital in Caracas after six years of protests and eight hunger strikes aimed at recovering full ownership of his lands.

Several months ago, Vice President Elías Jaua reported that there was a campaign to present Brito as an example of violation of human rights by the Venezuelan government.

Relatives of late Venezuelan striker to take his case to international courts
The Venezuelan Judiciary failed to solve the case of farmer Franklin Brito and, from the point of view of domestic law, all legal resources have been used. Therefore, the heirs of the deceased farmer must resort to different international human rights bodies to seek the justice they have not received in their country, according to lawyer Gonzalo Himiob, a member of NGO Foro Penal Venezolano. Brito's relatives agree.

"There are several choices right now. I see little chance that the rights of Franklin Brito and his heirs can be respected in the country," Himiob told El Universal.

"From the view of international law, we advise them to resort first to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and report the cruel, inhuman and humiliating treatment of the farmer, to the point that he died following a series of arbitrary and unconstitutional measures against him, particularly from December last year until today," Himiob said.

Himiob thinks that the fact that police agents have taken Brito to the Caracas Military Hospital led to a series of violations of due process and against the physical, mental and moral integrity of the farmer that "even from an international view, can be considered as cruel, inhuman and humiliating treatment."

This is the reason why the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the second option after the complaints with the Inter-American bodies.

Lawyers have already moved to notify the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) and the United Nations and the European Parliament are also likely to be notified, Himiob said.

Meanwhile, Elena de Brito, widow of Franklin Brito, said that the family is willing to continue fighting. First of all, they will seek explanations from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) because the term to decide on preemptive measures for her husband has already expired and no findings have been made by the IACHR.

September 02

Venezuelan authorities deny seizure of lands of late farmer
Venezuelan Vice President Elías Jaua regretted the death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin José Brito Rodríguez and denied that the government has seized or confiscated the lands of the grower that are located in the rural area of La Tigrera in the state of Bolívar, southern Venezuela.

"We want to make it clear, truly speaking, that Franklin Brito was never subject to any measure of seizure or confiscation of lands. It is false that the Venezuelan government has seized the estate owned by Brito.

Additionally, Jaua said that the government has remained silent over the death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito "for respect for a grieving family."

Relatives of Venezuelan farmer to be investigated for alleged inducement to suicide
Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz said that the she would appoint a prosecutor to determine whether in the case of the death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito there was an alleged inducement to suicide by relatives and friends, according to a complaint filed on September 01 at her office.

Ortega Díaz's move comes after a petition filed by Carlos Aldana, who requested an investigation into what he considers an unlawful act against Brito.

According to Ortega Díaz, Aldana said that, "there are words and expressions of people close to Franklin Brito that induced him to keep the hunger strike, not to eat, and to insist on this position, and this led him to death."