In an article published on its official website, Amnesty International spoke of the inhumane way in which the Makhzen authorities treated migrants who died after Moroccan police fired on them as they tried to reach the Spanish enclave of Melilla, in Morocco on Friday 24 June. , where they crossed paths. Their number, according to some organizations, is 37 people, whose remains were waiting to be buried in hastily dug graves, however, they were not identified, no autopsies were carried out and their remains have not been handed over to their relatives, who will not be able to bid them farewell with dignity.
The author of the article “In Melilla, never again”, went on to describe “the images of inert bodies, living and dead, piled on the ground as Moroccan policemen pass between them, shaking them and giving them beatings with their batons to check if they are breathing or moving. »
Researcher Daniel Canales, working for Amnesty International, obtained unpublished footage showing members of the Spanish police handing over potential refugees – most of them from war-torn Sudan – to Moroccan police, without any documentation. information or procedure to determine whether such persons are in need of protection. Once handed over to these policemen, they are again beaten by them.
Amnesty International said it had previously called for an independent and thorough investigation into the most serious episode in several decades – which had no shortage of tragic illustrations of the explosive situation on this border; in 2005, at least 13 people died at the hands of Moroccan and Spanish police, and in February 2014, another 15 drowned at the edge of Tarajal beach when Spanish police used riot gear to push them back.
“These human rights violations were committed a few weeks after the agreement to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries, after changing the approach of the Spanish government towards Western Sahara. “, has followed
Amnesty International article. This explains, according to her, why the Prime Minister of Spain, when the death of five people began to be announced, congratulated and praised the coordinated action of the Spanish Civil Guard and the Moroccan security forces. And when it emerged that 13 people had already died, he blamed the mafias for the deaths.
In this context, Amnesty International has asked; “but who left human beings to die lying on the ground without helping them? Who pushed potential refugees from Melilla towards the Moroccan police, knowing full well that they would be mistreated? Who keeps the reception services for refugees and asylum seekers in Melilla closed, when there is no other way to seek protection in Spain if you come from Sudan or Mali than to jump through over the fence after risking his life on a long trek across Africa?
Describing the clear and significant distinction between refugees on the basis of identity, Amnesty International pointed out that in Spain, in an unprecedented and very effective outpouring of solidarity and legality, more than 124,000 Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion, but left would-be refugees fleeing another war to die on the ground, on top of each other, preventing them from seeking asylum in Spain, in violation of international law. noting that: “This situation can only be described as racist. Worse still, we allow this tragedy to repeat itself over and over again. Until when ? »
The international human rights organization stressed that “It is time to end this policy which allows and encourages serious human rights violations. It is no longer possible to act as if nothing had happened, because blood and shame splatter us everywhere. “, pointing out that media around the world, including the Washington Post, Reuters and France 24, have questioned the effectiveness of this migration policy of the two States and underlined the cruelty of the treatment reserved for people who are only seeking a protection or a better life.
In this regard, Amnesty International also added that “It is time for the migration policy between Morocco and Spain to stop making truncheons and illegality its trademark. Restoring good neighborly relations should not mean that anything and everything can and should be done at the border without consideration for people’s rights, whether it be sending minors from Ceuta back to Morocco, the Moroccan authorities did last year, or to push back refugees, as the Spanish police did, so that they could be beaten with impunity by the Moroccan security forces.”
“It is also essential to know what happened in order to understand that it is absolutely necessary that all refugees have the possibility, like the Ukrainians, to flee the war and the repression in their country in seeking asylum through legal and safe channels. The situation is complex, but respect for human rights and the rule of law shows the path to be taken to ensure that the tragic events of the past few days never happen again”, concludes the author of the article.