MADRID (AP) \u2014 Rights groups on Friday denounced a lack of justice and transparency over the deaths of 37 migrants on June 24, 2022, during a mass attempt to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave city of Melilla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahead of the tragedy\u2019s anniversary, Amnesty International said the Spanish and Moroccan authorities were \u201cpreventing attempts to find the truth\u201d of what happened when up to\u00a02,000 African migrants tried to climb a border wall\u00a0and dozens were crushed, beaten and denied medical attention by security forces at the \u201cBarrio Chino\u201d border crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain\u2019s interior minister has repeatedly\u00a0rejected that any deaths\u00a0occurred on Spanish soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The independent Spanish Commission for Refugees, also known by its Spanish acronym CEAR, ordered authorities to clarify what happened that day for \u201ctruth, justice and reparations,\u201d and demanded the launch of an independent investigation after\u00a0prosecutors shelved the only state probe\u00a0into the deaths in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis leaves the door wide open for such a tragedy to happen again, endangering the lives of thousands of people seeking refuge,\u201d said Estrella Gal\u00e1n, CEAR\u2019s general director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amnesty noted that the families of 76 people who remain missing after the tragedy were still waiting for answers, and that Spain and Morocco both had failed to provide a full list of victims\u2019 names, or any footage of the tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBodies are still lying in a morgue and in graves and efforts to identify the dead and inform their relatives have been blocked,\u201d said Amnesty International Secretary General Agn\u00e8s Callamard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amnesty further alleged that Spain has continued illegal forced expulsions at the Moroccan border since the deadly attempted border crossing, while the warming of relations between the two countries means Morocco forcibly prevents asylum seekers from reaching the Spanish side to apply for international protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat 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,\u201d Callamard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organizations like CEAR have long criticized the Spanish government for the physical and bureaucratic obstacles asylum seekers face while seeking safe harbor.\u00a0Spain\u2019s acceptance rate\u00a0for asylum seekers\u2019 claims is well below the European average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rights groups\u2019 call for action comes during a harrowing month for migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bodies of a man and a child were retrieved from waters off the western coast of Morocco,\u00a0Spain\u2019s Maritime Rescue service said Wednesday. Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras said the dinghy they were traveling in was left for 12 hours without help, and 39 people on board died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recordings obtained by private Spanish radio outlet Cadena Ser revealed Friday that the Spanish coast guard asked Moroccan authorities to aid the shipwreck, allegedly delaying the arrival of aid while doubts were raised over whether the migrants were in Spanish or Moroccan waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed deaths from one of the\u00a0worst-ever migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean\u00a0rose to 81 Monday after three more bodies were found off southern Greece. The Greek coast guard has also been widely criticized for not trying to rescue the migrants before their vessel sank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Spanish and Moroccan authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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