After attack on Melilla: 33 migrants sentenced to prison terms

Dhe circumstances surrounding the death of at least 23 African migrants at the border fence in the Spanish exclave of Melilla are still unclear. However, that did not stop a court in the Moroccan neighboring town of Nador from imprisoning 33 men for 11 months for attempting to cross the border with 1,700 other migrants on June 24. The convicts are accused of “organizing illegal entry and exit to Morocco” and attacking police officers, according to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in Nador. You also have to pay a fine.

Another 28 migrants are expected to stand trial in Nador on July 27, most of them from Sudan and some from Chad. The human rights organization AMDH criticized that “the verdict is very harsh on asylum seekers who have only sought protection”. While Moroccan authorities confirmed 23 dead in the mass onslaught, human rights activists speak of up to 37 dead. About 300 people, including many officers, were injured on both sides of the border. The Ombudsman of the Spanish Parliament traveled to Melilla on Tuesday. Ángel Gabilondo is leading one of the two Spanish investigations, and the Attorney General’s Office has also started an investigation. In a radio interview, Gabilondo complained about the lack of support from Spanish ministries. So far, he and the Attorney General have requested aerial photographs from a drone and a helicopter in vain.

No autopsy results so far

The UN, EU and the Council of Europe had criticized the “excessive use of force” by the security forces and called for clarification. The Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH) has already raised serious allegations against the Spanish border police: Most migrants were suffocated during the stampede, and the Moroccan officials were not to blame, according to an interim report of its own investigation. Spain did not provide the “necessary support and assistance” to the migrants who came over the fence. Instead, the police officers used force and kept the gates of the border crossing closed. Autopsy results have not yet been presented.

Madrid has not yet responded to the allegations, only pointing out that the Human Rights Council, whose president is appointed by the Moroccan king, is a “theoretically independent” body. The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez initially only praised the “extraordinary work” of the Moroccan security forces, until a few days later he also found words of sympathy for the victims.