SATURDAY marks the anniversary of a tragic event in which around 2,000 sub-Saharan African migrants and refugees attempted to cross from Morocco to Spain, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 people, with 76 individuals still unaccounted for.
Families of the deceased and missing victims involved in the deadly events that occurred on the border of Spain’s Melilla enclave are facing obstacles in their quest for truth, justice, and reparation, a
s Spanish and Moroccan authorities appear to be engaged in a cover-up, Amnesty International revealed on the eve of the incident’s first anniversary.
‘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,’ stated Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
The barriers hindering truth and justice reflect the persistent harmful treatment based on race and migration status. As hopes of finding the missing individuals alive diminish, the demand for authorities to provide truth and ensure justice for the victims and their families grows louder.
One year after the tragedy, authorities have made no attempt to repatriate the remains of the victims, and at least 22 bodies remain at a morgue in Morocco. Spanish and Moroccan authorities have failed to provide a comprehensive list of victims’ names and causes of death, as well as CCTV footage that could aid the investigation. Furthermore, they have neglected to properly investigate actions that constitute crimes under international law, human rights violations, and instances of racism and discrimination at the border.
Spanish authoriti
es refused to initiate an independent probe, and in December 2022, prosecutors dropped their investigation, claiming a lack of evidence of criminal misconduct by Spanish security forces.
Moroccan authorities have not launched any investigation into the use of force by their border officials, and they have impeded the efforts of families and NGOs in their search for the missing and deceased. Amnesty International’s requests for information from the Moroccan and Spanish governments have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities continue to engage in unlawful practices at borders, including collective expulsions often accompanied by excessive use of force. In collaboration with Morocco, the Moroccan authorities persist in preventing Black Sub-Saharan Africans from reaching Spanish territory to seek asylum at the border post.
A report by Amnesty International in 2022 highlighted the predictability of the tragic events in June and deemed the loss of life avoidable. The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance stated in November 2022 that the violence in Melilla exposes the racialized exclusion and deadly violence employed to keep out individuals of African, Middle Eastern descent, and other non-white populations.
‘We are just immigrants and we are human beings. We are not animals. We need respect like anyone,’ expressed Aboubida from Sudan, who experienced beatings, tear gas, and denial of medical assistance in Melilla.
“What happened in Melilla is a salutary reminder that racist migration policies aimed at fortifying borders and restricting safe and legal routes for people seeking safety in Europe have real and deadly consequences. It is hard to escape the racialised element of what happened in Melilla and the dehumanising way in which Black people are treated at Europe’s borders, whether they are living, missing, or dead,’ added Agnès Callamard.
A year ago, Amnesty International called for an urgent and impartial investigation into the deaths in Melilla amid mounting evidence of serious human rights violations. Now, as the evidence points towards a deliberate and coordinated cover-up, the lessons of Melilla must be learned to prevent arbitrary loss of life, violence, and impunity at borders, and to alleviate the suffering of those seeking protection.
