The question of the violation of human rights in the tragedy of Melilla, which claimed the lives of around thirty migrants on June 24, must be raised in Rabat, said the Spanish Prime Minister on Sunday in an interview with the daily El Peace.
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Asked about the images of the tragedy that he said he had not seen during his last intervention, Wednesday, on the subject, and on the “respect for human rights in such a situation“, Pedro Sanchez claimed that”it is the government of Morocco that should answer this question“.
“We have to talk about what we do in Spain“, continued Pedro Sanchez. However, he immediately qualified his remarks by saying “recognize the effort made by Morocco, which suffers from migratory pressure, to defend borders which are not its own but those of Spain» and evoking the «solidarity» which, according to him, Spain and Europe must show vis-à-vis Morocco.
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On June 24, around 30 African migrants died in an attempt by around 2,000 people to force their way into the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco.
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Footage released several hours later revealed acts of brutality, with bodies strewn on the ground, Moroccan police beatings and Spanish security forces firing tear gas at men hanging from fences, according to the report. NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Melilla is, with the city of Ceuta, one of the two Spanish enclaves located on the northern coast of Morocco, the only land borders of the European Union with the African continent.
For the Prime Minister, Melilla is “the last episode of a tragedy that began long before, several kilometers away“, speaking again of a violent attack, with men “armed», and an event orchestrated by the «mafias“, an argument that the Spanish government has continued to brandish since this affair.
The human toll of the tragedy is not yet officially known and for the moment, the authorities evoking a “thirtiesof deaths, the heaviest ever recorded at the borders between Morocco and the two enclaves.
He provoked international indignation, notably with remarks of rare severity from the UN, as well as the opening of two investigations in Spain and an information mission in Morocco.
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This new migration drama at the gates of the EU comes after Madrid and Rabat normalized their relations in mid-March following an almost year-long diplomatic quarrel over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. .
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