Spain and Morocco fail to investigate 2022 deaths of 37 migrants in Melilla: Amnesty International News
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Spain and Morocco fail to investigate 2022 deaths of 37 migrants in Melilla: Amnesty International

Amnesty International (AI) accused Spain and Morocco on Friday of covering up and failing to investigate the deaths of at least 37 migrants at the border of Melilla, a Spanish enclave city in northwest Africa.

On June 24, 2022, Spanish and Moroccan authorities were reported to have committed crimes under international law by employing anti-riot equipment—like tear gas and rubber bullets—to violently disperse about 2,000 Black migrants seeking to cross from Morocco to Melilla. The incidents led to the deaths and disappearances of at least 37 and 76 migrants, respectively.

According to AI, Spanish and Moroccan authorities have failed to make attempts to repatriate the remains of victims and at least 22 bodies are still in a Moroccan morgue. In addition, Spain and Morocco did not provide a list of the names of victims and CCTV footage, which could aid investigations. They also did not investigate discrimination, racism and actions that violated international law and human rights at the Melilla border.

AI’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:

One year on from the carnage at Melilla, Spanish and Moroccan authorities not only continue to deny any responsibility but are preventing attempts to find the truth. Bodies are still lying in a morgue and in graves and efforts to identify the dead and inform their relatives have been blocked… Barriers to truth and justice are also a reflection of the continuing harmful treatment based on race and migration status.

Furthermore, AI reported that Spanish authorities have continued to engage in unlawful practices at borders, for instance collective expulsions. On the other hand, Moroccan authorities, in cooperation between Spain and Morocco, have continued to prevent Black Africans from reaching Spanish territory to apply for asylum.

Meanwhile, a day before AI’s report was released, Spain was reported to have rescued 227 migrants in 4 boats near Spain’s Canary Islands within 24 hours. Nonetheless, migration organizations stated that at least 30 migrants were missing and condemned Spain and Morocco for their lack of early intervention.

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