Franklin Brito, 49, died of a heart attack caused by his prolonged fasting on Aug. 31. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

MARACAIBO, Venezuela – Some call him a martyr.

Others say he was used.

But this is undeniable: The death of Franklin Brito has become a symbol of the times in Venezuela.

“You knew Brito’s death was coming,” said Renny Cubillán, a 33-year-old Maracaibo resident. “We are so disappointed; all that we have left is impotence.”

Franklin Brito’s first hunger strike began in 2005, shortly after the Venezuelan government seized his property in the southern state of Bolívar.

Franklin Brito temporarily began eating again after the seizure order was revoked near the end of last year.

But Franklin Brito renewed his strike shortly thereafter, alleging authorities had failed to compensate him or deliver the legal paperwork canceling the seizure.

After staging his strike in front of the offices of the Organization of American States in Caracas, Franklin Brito was admitted to a military hospital a year ago so his health could be monitored.

On Aug. 31, Franklin Brito died of a heart attack caused by his prolonged fasting. He was 49.

Franklin Brito’s family constantly complained that he was not allowed to see his own doctors, only the ones assigned by the government.

Venezuelan government supported Franklin Brito, official says

Juan Carlos Loyo, Venezuela’s Minister for Agriculture and Lands, said Franklin Brito had the support of the Bolivarian Government throughout his ordeal, state-controlled Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN) reported.

Loyo claims he visited Franklin Brito at the military hospital at the request of the patient’s family.

“We met without any intervention from the media, in the spirit of seeing, once more, how we could help for humanitarian reasons,” said Loyo, as reported by AVN.

Franklin Brito “was used” for political purposes by the opposition and “that put his life at risk,” Loyo said.

“Let Venezuela know that Franklin Brito could not be brought down by aggression, was not scared of threats or accepted corrupt offers,” Franklin Brito’s family said in a statement. “We will keep fighting for what he left for his children. And his conscious sacrifice will not be in vain as long as the children of Venezuela are also willing to defend the physical and moral goods of the nation.”

Franklin Brito’s death prompted a feeling of self-criticism from Venezuelans, tired of constant turmoil and apathy among their countrymen.

“Brito made the conscious decision to let himself die,” wrote the columnist known as Marciano in the Sept. 1 edition of government-owned Venezuelan daily Vea.

“But in the chain of actions and omissions in this case,” Marciano wrote, “the first mistake was made by the authorities who, just as it happens in other parts of the country, pretend not to notice conflictive situations or proceed without minding the law, validating the seizure of the land of some farmers who are neither big land-owners nor exploiters.”

“This situation shows that the government doesn’t care about human rights,” said Augusto Inciarte, a 41-year-old street vendor in Maracaibo. “Because of the simple fact of not agreeing with [the government’s] policies, those who oppose the government become third-class citizens and, even more, their disagreement is transfigured into a crime.”

“Brito’s ordeal and his death should make us put things in perspective,” said Dayana Godoy, a 36-year-old graduate student from Maracaibo. “We should honor Brito’s immense sacrifice and fight so that [it] was not in vain.”