Four months after the Melilla tragedy, Spain is under fire from critics after exposing Spanish responsibility for the deaths of dozens of migrants, pinched by a shocking BBC documentary.
On November 1, the BBC published an investigation that pointed the finger at Spain’s responsibility for the tragedy in Melilla that caused the deaths of more than 20 migrants on June 24, 2022. La Dépêche summarizes the proponents of this case, which is causing scandal on the other side of the Pyrenees.
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Melilla drama: 23 migrants died trying to enter Spanish enclave
A drama in the Spanish enclave
On June 24, nearly 2,000 migrants, most of them from Sudan, attempted to enter Melilla. This enclave and that of Ceuta are Spanish port areas in Morocco and the only area belonging to a European country located on the African continent. But this incursion into this part of Spain ended in tragedy: 23 migrants lost their lives, according to the Moroccan authorities. The latter then spoke of “an accident” in connection with the collapse of the iron fence that the migrants had tried to climb.
But the BBC documentary judges that the Spanish and Moroccan forces cooperated and were in fact responsible for the violence and deaths that ensued. Among the crimes committed by the security forces, the BBC mentions “rubber bullets fired at close range” by Spanish forces. The media also highlights a video showing “at least one dead on the floor of the entrance” to the border post that separates Morocco from the Spanish enclave, “and other lifeless bodies taken out by security forces there. Moroccans”, while the area was under Spanish control.
Warning, some images in the following tweet may shock our readers.
Another video shows several migrants lying on the ground, some injured or dying, under the surveillance of Moroccan authorities, who are not providing them with assistance. Moroccan forces are also said to have helped push 450 migrants back into Moroccan territory from the Melilla enclave and “beat migrants until they passed out” under the passive gaze of Spanish border guards.
This footage by local journalist Javier Bernardo shows Moroccan forces entering Spanish territory to bring migrants back to Morocco without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum.
This practice is often referred to as “pushbacks” and its legality is disputed. pic.twitter.com/AnmfSPBSIh
– BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) November 1, 2022
A political crisis in the making
These revelations go against official Spanish positions and have sparked lively controversy on the other side of the Pyrenees. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez assured in September that the deaths had taken place on Moroccan territory. There is also no consensus on the assessment: the UN Human Rights Council speaks of 37 dead, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights of 27. The BBC has registered 24 dead and 77 missing and accuses Spain of withholding “crucial” video from surveillance cameras to the investigation to slow down.
Spanish parliamentarians, including those from the ruling left-wing coalition, have taken up the cause. “This report is a very hard blow to the official version of the facts,” said Jaume Asens, leader of the Podemos Group. “We have to go all the way and our first requirement is looking at these pictures here in the Chamber of Deputies and the urgent appearance of the minister [de l’Intérieur]’, for his part, launched Cuca Gamarra, number two in the People’s Party, the main force of the opposition.
Allegations “without any evidence”, according to the authorities
Spain’s interior ministry attacked a November 2 statement, saying it was “disappointing and surprising that allegations of such gravity are being made without evidence.” According to the same press release, “absolutely no one whether the Guardia Civil [espagnole]the police station [marocaine]the prosecutor or the ombudsman merely claims that the deaths took place on Spanish territory”.
The ministry reiterates that the Spanish guards acted “appropriately and in accordance with the law” in the face of a “violent attack”. According to AFP, the BBC stood by its claims after the statement was released.