A demonstration led by the representatives of the majority associations of dana victims, under the slogan “Mazón to prison”, has marched this Saturday through the center of Valencia to demand that the “expresident” of the Generalitat “does not go unpunished” and make it clear that they will continue to take to the streets until they achieve “truth, justice, and reparation”, as well as that “the special legal protection is not applied to him” because “he is doing nothing and is only protecting himself”.
It is the first march after the decision of the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV), which unanimously rejected investigating Mazón for his actions during the DANA of October 29, 2024, as it saw no crime, since he had no “duty and obligation” specifically to guarantee the safety of citizens —according to the law— nor has it been proven that he participated in Es Alert. Nevertheless, the court described his conduct as “reprehensible” socially and politically.
Subsequently, the holder of Seat number 3 of the Civil and Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance of Catarroja, which investigates the management of the dana, agreed to summon Carlos Mazón to testify as a witness. In addition, the magistrate offered him the possibility of voluntarily providing to the case his list of incoming and outgoing calls on the day of the dana, his WhatsApp messages or other messaging related to the emergency, or the invoices corresponding to the call lists.
In the face of these facts, the victims maintain an attitude of “hope” because “we do not understand it as a resignation, but as one more step to continue in our fight for truth, justice, and reparation.”
This was explained to the media, minutes before the start of the protest from València City Hall Square, by the president of the Associació Víctimes de la Dana 29 d’Octubre 2024, Mariló Gradolí. The leader has stated that the former head of the Consell must answer for the loss of at least 230 people and has criticized the “shameful” order from the TSJCV that returned the case to the judge of Catarroja.
“If the High Court of Justice —of the Valencian Community— issues such a shameful order in which it says that Carlos Mazón was not a guarantor, that he had no responsibility the day the biggest disaster in the Valencian Community happened (…) If the ‘president’ of the Generalitat is not responsible, who is?”, Gradolí asked.
Therefore, he/she considers that the judge's decision to extend the investigation six more months "is one more step." "We are going to continue and we will continue until we have to get there, because if there's one thing we have it's patience and, above all, the reason to continue on the path of truth, justice, and reparation," he/she has emphasized.
