Franklin Brito
Franklin José Brito Rodríguez (5 September 1960 – 30 August 2010) was a
Initial claims
In 1999 the Instituto Agrario Nacional gave Brito a tax-free title to a 717-acre (290 ha) property he owned in La Tigrera, in Sucre, Bolivar State.[citation needed]
In 2002 Brito submitted a project to the
Since March 2003, Brito claimed that some land titles issued to neighbours overlapped with parts of his farm.[citation needed]
According to Brito, his dispute began when a 59-acre (240,000 m2) part
The Supreme Tribunal of Venezuela turned down Brito´s claim on formal grounds, in March 2007. However, it expressly ordered INTI to reestablish access to Brito´s land by rendering null and void those titles given by INTI to Brito's neighbours.[5][non-primary source needed]
Legal challenges and public protests
After Brito lost part of his farm, he carried out a range of public protests in order to raise public support for his cause, including a total of six hunger strikes.[1][4] His first hunger strike took place on 24 November 2004.[6] In 2005 Brito amputated his finger in front of television cameras after the court decided against him. In 2006 an appeal to a higher court was ruled inadmissible. A second hunger strike followed. In 2007 the Supreme Tribunal of Justice turned down his case.[citation needed] The government had a habit of reneging on its promises after he ended his hunger strikes.[4] At one point Brito turned down almost all of a government settlement of $230,000 on the grounds that he believed it could be seen as illegal and potentially lead to his incarceration for corruption.[4]
In July 2009 he began another protest in front of the
Death
Brito died, age 49, in the hospital on the evening of 30 August. His family said that Brito had become a "symbol and standard bearer for all those who have been stepped on by power and government arrogance."[citation needed] His death came in the highly charged pre-election atmosphere of the 2010 parliamentary election, and led to widespread domestic and international media coverage. United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley said that the United States was saddened by Brito's death.[8] Venezuelan Vice President Elías Jaua expressed "regret", reiterating the government's position that Brito's land "had never been expropriated".[9] The government stated that opposition politicians and media were trying to exploit his protest for political gain.[1][10] On the receipt of a private petition after his death, the Attorney General announced an investigation into whether Brito had been induced to commit suicide by continuing the hunger strike.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 31 August 2010, Venezuela hunger striker's death angers Chavez foes
- ^ Ian James, Associated Press, 31 August 2010, Venezuela hunger striker dies
- ^ a b c Silvia Viñas, Venezuela: Franklin Brito Dies After Several Hunger Strikes, Aug 31st 2010, Global Voices
- ^ a b c d e f g h P.G., Life, liberty and property, Aug 31st 2010, The Economist
- ^ "386-070307-06-1721.HTM". Archived from the original on 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
- ^ (in Spanish) Tal Cual, 2 June 2009, Franklin Brito Archived 2010-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c (in Spanish) Tal Cual, 30 August 2010, La pasión de Brito Archived 2010-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ El Universal, 1 September 2010, US "saddened" by death of Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito Archived 2010-09-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ El Universal, 2 September 2010, Venezuelan authorities deny seizure of lands of late farmer Archived 2012-07-07 at archive.today
- ^ Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 2 September 2010, Venezuela says opposition sought protester's death
- ^ El Universal, 2 September 2010, Relatives of Venezuelan farmer to be investigated for alleged inducement to suicide Archived 2010-09-04 at the Wayback Machine