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Spain's prosecutors drop Melilla migrant deaths probe

December 23, 2022

Prosecutors investigating the tragic death of at least 23 people say there was no evidence of misconduct by Spanish guards.

https://p.dw.com/p/4LNGf
A man is detained by police officers on Spanish soil after crossing the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco in Melilla
A man is detained by police officers on Spanish soil after crossing the fences separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco in MelillaImage: Javier Bernardo/AP/picture alliance

Spain's public prosecutor on Friday closed an investigation into the June deaths of at least 23 migrants who had tried to storm a Spanish enclave from Morocco.

"It cannot be concluded that the conduct of the [Spanish] security officers involved increased the threat to the life and well-being of the immigrants, so no charge of reckless homicide can be brought," the public prosecutor said in a statement. 

The statement added that the migrants were "hostile and violent," and that Spanish security forces had "no reason to believe that there were people at risk who required help.''

What happened at the Morocco-Melilla border?

In June, about 2,000 men tried to climb the Melilla border fence in northwest Africa from Morocco. Hundreds of them, some wielding sticks, clashed with border guards for nearly two hours. 

Moroccan police launched tear gas and beat men with batons, while Spanish security forces surrounded a group that managed to make it to the Spanish side. 

A stampede apparently caused a crush, with tragic images showing men piled on top of one another. 

Death at Europe's external borders

Rights groups denounce use of force 

In a report released this month, Amnesty International condemned what it called "massive killings, forced disappearances, acts of torture, discrimination and racism." 

The group denounced Moroccan and Spanish border guards for "carnage" in the incident, saying they had fired tear gas and beat and pelted the migrants. 

Madrid rejected the report, with the Interior Ministry saying it contained "false assertions."

The Moroccan Association of Human Rights had also accused Morocco's security forces of using "unjustified" violence against migrants. 

fb/jcg (AFP, AP, Reuters)