Franklin Brito

Who was Franklin Brito?

Franklin José Brito Rodríguez was a Venezuelan agricultural producer and biologist who gained national and international prominence over a land ownership dispute with his neighbours. He carried out a series of legal challenges and dramatic public protests from 2004, often coinciding with other protests such as the 2007 Venezuelan demonstrations. Brito's protests culminated in his death due to a hunger strike. Legal rulings, and inspections by the Instituto Nacional de Tierras, repeatedly found that the land titles INTI had issued to his neighbours did not overlap his land. Brito's death, which came in the highly charged pre-election atmosphere of the Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2010, led to widespread domestic and international media coverage.