Morocco sentences 33 Sudanese to 11 months in prison after the tragedy at the Melilla fence

The Court of First Instance of Nador has sentenced a group of 33 sub-Saharan emigrants who participated in the attempt to jump the Melilla fence on June 24 in the border city of Nador to 11 months in prison.

That day, around 1,700 migrants and refugees, mostly Sudanese, flocked to Chinatown in Nador to force their way across the border.

The attempt ended with at least 23 migrant deaths, although several NGOs estimate that the death toll was higher.

The trial, which began on July 4, has taken a short time to resolve.

The court has accused each of the emigrants of crimes such as illegal entry into Moroccan soil, violence against law enforcement officers, armed crowds on public roads and outrage against public officials.

In addition to the prison sentence, each of the prisoners must pay a fine of 500 dirhams (47 euros) and compensation of 3,500 dirhams (328 euros) for damages caused to public property and agents.

More information

The Ombudsman travels to Melilla to expand his investigation into the deadly crossing of the fence

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), the NGO that broadcast from the first day most of the videos in which it was appreciated how the emigrants were treated by the forces of order, described the sentence as "severe" in a message on social networks and expressed his confidence that the Nador Court of Appeals will rectify the sentence issued by the Court of First Instance.

There is another group of 28 Sudanese detained on June 24 who are awaiting trial on Wednesday, July 27, at the Nador Court of Appeals.

The attorney general's office accuses them of crimes such as "voluntary burning" of the mountain or the "kidnapping" of a gendarme.

For the latter, the sentences requested are greater than one year.

The legal proceedings against the detained migrants are advancing rapidly.

But the investigation into the causes that caused the deaths of 23 of them continues to be delayed.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry initially indicated that most of the deaths were caused by stampedes and falls from the top of the fence.

However, at least 10 Sudanese have declared to several Spanish media, including EL PAÍS, that they witnessed how their colleagues were beaten to death by Moroccan agents.

For its part, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), an organization whose president, Amina Bouayach, was appointed by King Mohamed VI in 2018, issued a preliminary report on July 13 on what happened in which it blames the Spanish authorities. of not providing “the necessary assistance and aid” to the victims.

No autopsy results have yet been released.

But that did not prevent the CNDH from attributing, in principle, the cause of death to mechanical suffocation "caused by the stampede or the fall of the fence."

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) plans to present its report this Wednesday in Rabat.

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