Catalan government pays €261,000 to woman who lost eye to rubber bullet

The Catalan department for internal affairs is paying out nearly €261,000 in damages to a woman who lost an eye at a general strike on November 14, 2012.

A court has received the payment for Ester Quintana, whom a pre-trial investigation found to have been wounded by a rubber bullet fired by Catalan riot police.

Two officers from the Mossos d¡¯Esquadra regional police force, Eduardo C. and Lloren? B., will stand trial for their actions.

No amount of money can make up for what the Mossos did to us¡±

Ester Quintana

However, regional officials underscored that the financial compensation only represents ¡°civil responsibility¡± in the event that the officers are found guilty, and that the Catalan government is in no way assuming any responsibility of its own in the case.

Interior chief Jordi Jan¨¦ had already stated over the course of the summer that the early payment of €260,931 was ¡°not an admission of guilt, but a show of goodwill.¡±

The specific amount was agreed to following weeks of negotiations between the Catalan government¡¯s insurer, SegurCaixa, and Quintana¡¯s legal representatives.

At a press conference held at the Federation of Barcelona Neighborhood Associations, her lawyer Laia Serra said the move was ¡°a very important step forward¡± and trusted that ¡°it will have an effect on other victims of rubber bullets; there are still many cases left to solve.¡±

The money is meant to cover Quintana¡¯s medical and legal expenses, including expert reports.

¡°We celebrate the fact that they paid before the trial,¡± added Serra.

Quintana also expressed satisfaction at the news, but added that ¡°no amount of money can make up for what the Mossos did to us,¡± a reference to other people who have also lost eyes to rubber bullets fired by riot police in the past.

The Quintana case triggered a government ban on the use of rubber bullets. Instead, riot police now use rifles that fire visco-elastic foam pellets.

But Catalan officials and the regional police repeatedly denied that any rubber bullets had been fired at the general strike, suggesting that Quintana was hurt by rioters ¨C until a court investigation based on video footage and witness reports debunked that claim.

Her lawyer on Tuesday alluded to the Catalan government¡¯s attitude in the case and its own contradictory versions, expressed at various times.

¡°The Generalitat¡¯s strategy has been disastrous, absurd, anti-democratic,¡± she said.

On November 14, 2012, with Spain in the grip of the economic crisis, hundreds of thousands marched on the streets to protest Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy¡¯s labor reform package and austerity measures.

English version by Susana Urra.