Victims’ group: We are going to appeal this mistake
“We are going to appeal this mistake,” said Pilar Manjon, who lost her 20-year-old son in the attacks. “I don’t like to see killers walking free.”
Other relatives also expressed disappointment.
“It’s a feeble judgment, most of the accused will be out on the street in one or two months,” said Carlos Jerria, a Chilean whose son-in-law was killed.
“There are far too few guilty verdicts for such a horrible crime,” said María José Guttiérez, a Spaniard whose sister was killed.
“It seems to us that only a few of them got a lot of years in prison. There aren’t many heavy sentences considering how many people were affected.”
The judge, Javier Gómez Bermúdez, announced compensation for the victims of between €30,000 and €1.5 million.
He spent 40 minutes reading a summary of the 600-page judgment then announced the verdicts and sentences.
Mr Zapatero said: “Nothing can make up for the loss, but now their suffering can be alleviated by knowing the truth of what happened and who did it.”
Defence lawyers have five days to announce whether or not they intend to appeal the verdicts to Spain’s supreme court.
4 — packed commuter trains were bombed during the morning rush hour on March 11, 2004.
191 — people were murdered.
1,800 — people were injured.
3 — terrorist ringleaders of the bombings were sentenced to 43,000 years in prison each.
40 — the maximum number of years they will spend in jail.
1 — alleged mastermind cleared of all charges.
4 — lead suspects convicted of lesser charges and who received sentences of between 10 and 18 years.
21 — of the 28 accused were convicted.
7 — suspected ringleaders of the attacks, including the operational chief, who blew themselves up in a house three weeks after the massacre.
