They denounce a lack of justice 1 year after the death of 37 migrants in Melilla

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MADRID (AP) — Human rights groups on Friday denounced the lack of justice and transparency over the death of 37 migrants on June 24, 2022, during a massive attempt to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla.

A day before the anniversary of the tragedy, Amnesty International accused the Spanish and Moroccan authorities of “impeding attempts to find the truth” of what happened then, when some 2,000 African migrants tried to scale a border wall. Forces at the “Barrio Chino” border crossing were accused of beating dozens of migrants and denying them medical care.

Spain’s Interior Minister has repeatedly denied that deaths have occurred on Spanish soil.

The independent organization Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) ordered the authorities to clarify what happened that day to guarantee “justice, truth and non-repetition”, and demanded the initiation of an independent investigation after prosecutors archived in December the only state inquiry into the deaths.

“The fact that it has not been resolved and that the false investigations are closed leaves the door wide open for a tragedy like this to happen again, endangering the lives of thousands of people seeking refuge,” said the general director of CEAR, Estrella Galán.

“One of the worst tragedies on our southern border, along with the one that occurred in Tarajal in 2014, cannot go unpunished again,” he said.

Amnesty noted that the families of 76 people still missing after the tragedy are still waiting for answers, and that neither Spain nor Morocco provided a full list of the names of the victims or images of what happened.

“There are still bodies in the morgue and in the graves, and efforts to identify the dead and inform their families have been blocked,” said Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard.

Furthermore, Amnesty alleged that Spain continues to apply illegal forced expulsions at the Moroccan border since that deadly attempt to cross the border, while a rapprochement between the two countries has meant that Morocco is forcibly preventing potential asylum seekers from reaching the country. Spanish side to ask for international protection.

“What happened in Melilla is a good reminder that racist immigration policies aimed at fortifying borders and restricting safe and legal routes for people seeking safety in Europe have real and deadly consequences,” Callamard added.

Organizations like CEAR have long criticized the Spanish government for the physical and bureaucratic obstacles asylum seekers face while seeking refuge. The acceptance rate of asylum applications in Spain is well below the European average.