Pain, tears and a single demand: justice at the beginning of the preliminary trial for the Jet Set tragedy

Santo Domingo. – With a broken heart and an absence that weighs on every word, dozens of family members of the victims of the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub are already at the Palace of Justice of Ciudad Nueva with the same purpose: that the pain they have been living for months does not go unpunished. Among those present, family members denounced that what happened at Jet Set was not an unavoidable accident, but an event caused by the lack of responsibility and improvisation in a structure that, they claim, had known weaknesses for a long time. “Today we are left with the pain of our families… there is a void in every Dominican home and this can never go unpunished,” expressed one of the family members.

You can also read: Citizens of Jarabacoa and Digesett reach agreement after call to march in La Colonia Agrícola

“This was not by chance”: family members claim the owners knew the risk According to their complaint, the place that previously functioned as a cinema was modified at the discretion of the owners, without the technical supervision necessary to guarantee safety in a nightclub where hundreds of people gathered. “The owners were aware of the weaknesses of the place… they modified it without professional logistics and it became the most famous nightclub in the country… but with a structure that couldn’t support it,” he stated. In that sense, he maintained that this case became a test for the Dominican judicial system: “Dominican justice is being put to the test… and must have a verdict that punishes those who improvise structures to profit at the expense of little supervision.” The family members not only pointed to the accused, but also to the Dominican State, considering that the tragedy was possible due to institutional control failures. “We blame the Dominican State… we blame the departments responsible for the supervision of structures where large numbers of people are housed,” said the complainant. Economic agreements have reduced the group, but many refuse: “a handout does not replace justice” Another point that has generated tension is that several survivors and those affected have reached out-of-court settlements, which has reduced the number of family members who continue to actively attend the process. “Our daughter hurts us more than any gift… that can never silence justice,” he expressed, insisting that those agreements cannot prevent a sentence. Rafael Navarro, father of one of the victims, who described the suffering he has endured since the tragedy. “The only thing I ask God is that justice be done… I haven’t had a life since my little girl left,” she said. He also narrated the impact that the death left on his family, including the young woman’s mother, her daughters, and a granddaughter who was marked by the loss. “We want justice. We want justice. We want justice,” they repeated in front of the court.