Spain Deflects UN Human Rights Concerns Over Deadly Melilla Border Incident to Morocco

In an interview with El Pais, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, returned to the attempted illegal immigration orchestrated by nearly 2,000 migrants in Nador, who wanted to enter Melilla. He notably reacted to the images of migrants broadcast after the intervention of the border police.

Regarding the "respect for human rights in such a situation" mentioned by several international associations, Pedro Sanchez stated that "it is the Moroccan government that should answer this question," adding "we must, we must talk about what we do in Spain."

However, he nuanced, it is necessary to "recognize the effort made by Morocco, which is suffering from migratory pressure, to defend borders that are not its own but those of Spain" and evoking the "solidarity" that Spain and Europe must show, according to him, towards Morocco.

To recall, several international human rights organizations have expressed their outrage at the treatment inflicted on migrants by the security forces. The UN has opened two investigations in Spain and a fact-finding mission in Morocco.