After the death of at least 23 African migrants in the Spanish enclave of Melilla in June, Spain’s public prosecutor’s office has dropped the investigation. The public prosecutor’s office said on Friday that they had found no signs of a crime in the actions of the Spanish security forces. She described the migrants as “constantly hostile and violent” towards the Moroccan and Spanish police. Spanish officials were unaware that people in the crowd needed medical attention.
Around 2,000 migrants, mainly from South African countries, tried to cross the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla in June. The death of the migrants in the mass rush to the Melilla border fence had caused international outrage.
In a report published last week, the human rights organization Amnesty International assumed at least 37 deaths and blamed Spain and Morocco for the deaths of the migrants. Accordingly, there is overwhelming evidence of “serious and multiple violations of human rights”.
According to the report, police officers threw stones at migrants and fired tear gas at them in closed rooms. Spain’s Interior Ministry dismissed the report, saying it contained “false allegations”.
Melilla and the other Spanish exclave of Ceuta share the EU’s only land border with Africa. The areas are therefore regularly the destination of migrants hoping for a better life in Europe.
