The trial for the 74 Covid deaths in the Alcoy nursing home begins

Justice for the victims. Dignity for the residents. This is what the relatives of those who died at the DomusVi residence in Alcoy are seeking. They showed this on a banner on Monday morning before entering courtroom number 3 where the civil trial began four years after the events occurred.

We want these days to bring to light the circumstances that led to the death of our relatives. We have to listen and wait, and hope that this collective effort will be a path of hope for the numerous demands still awaiting a response from Justice regarding the thousands of deaths that occurred in nursing homes during the pandemic and that it will serve to prevent it from happening again, said José Luis García, spokesperson for the affected and plaintiff.

The lawsuit is filed by 46 relatives of 15 deceased and three other residents for injuries suffered against the residence manager Quavitae and the insurer, claiming more than two million euros in civil liability.

They assure that they are not seeking money, because they would have preferred the trial to follow a criminal route and insist that what they are looking for are answers from the manager, whom they accuse of putting all obstacles to access information and their relatives' medical records.

The relatives who gathered at the courthouse seemed visibly emotional and also hopeful about the start of a trial where they know they will hear very harsh testimonies. One of them is Silvia Peris, whose father, suffering from Alzheimer's, died in the early days. She assures that it was very traumatic to go through what they went through. They were not informed by the residence and she could not even say goodbye to her father or know if he was in the coffin.

At the trial, the defendant filed a motion for reconsideration to have the hearing held behind closed doors. The judge denied it, prioritizing the right to information and given that the personal data cited by the defendant to request it belong to the deceased relatives of the plaintiffs who have given their consent.