Officer who beat man at Son Sant Joan Airport loses appeal

THE conviction of the officer who struck a young man in the face at Son Sant Joan Airport in August 2009 has been ratified by a Palma judge. He was sentenced to pay a fine of €20 a day for two months.

The victim, Ivan Cortes, was travelling with his girlfriend to London that day when he was detained at airport control by two officers.

They were checking for the terrorists who had placed a bomb under two Guardia Civil patrol cars outside Palmanova barracks the week before.

Ivan responded to the officer’s questions in Catalan despite being asked to speak Spanish, insisting that he had the right to speak in his language. Despite his injuries at the hands of the officer took four days to heal, Ivan waived any compensation.