Spanish Court Clears Migrant Center in Moroccan Man’s Suicide Case

Ten days after the suicide, and after receiving the death certificate, the judge requested reports from the Center to ensure that the protocols had been followed. An "exceptional situation" such as isolation cannot be applied for more than an hour and must be constantly monitored by cameras, the judge noted.

Marouane’s family had a hard time accepting the news of his suicide, convinced that the young man must have suffered a lot before making such a decision. They requested the opening of an investigation so that all the light could be shed on his death and that justice be done. "The viewing of the surveillance cameras has allowed us to appreciate the possible existence of several crimes attributable to public officials: incitement to suicide, degrading treatment, attack on life or moral integrity, refusal of health care and others," said the family’s lawyer, who, on this basis, requested that several police officers and members of the Center’s health team be questioned.

On July 14, a day before his death, several detainees attacked Marouane, causing him facial fractures. A few days earlier, he had already been the victim of two other attacks. The hospital required a 2-3 day health rest due to the "head trauma" he presented, as well as regular monitoring. It also recommended his immediate transfer to the emergency room in case of "loss of consciousness, confusion or disorientation, abnormal tendency to sleep, persistent headaches, alteration of character or abnormal behaviors, loss of strength or alteration of coordination of one of the limbs". However, none of these recommendations were implemented by the Center’s health personnel or the police.

The court ruled that the responsibility of the officials is not engaged because they had not been informed that they had to pay particular attention to Marouane’s medical treatment. "No criminal liability is incurred for omission of the duty of health care, incomplete provision of care or erroneous diagnosis. The law rather sanctions the refusal of health care," the judge specified.

The Zapadores Center has been the scene of multiple and diverse human rights violations. In total, ten people have died since the Center opened. The initiators of the CIEs No and Casa Maroc campaigns demand that responsibilities be identified in Marouane’s death and that all centers be urgently closed "since they are nothing more than racist prisons where the fundamental rights of people who have committed no crime are violated."