The Spanish police was sent by Madrid to stop a large number of migrants from entering the Spanish enclave of Melilla on June 24, 2022. The attempt ended in tragedy with the death of at least 23 persons who were crushed.

NGOs, the UN Commissioner Michelle Bachelet and the President of the African Union (AU) Moussa Faki Mahamat immediately called for an inquiry into the case. Mahamat recalled the obligations set by international law "to treat all migrants with dignity and prioritize their security and human rights, abstaining from the excessive use of force."

'Rocks thrown against migrants appear in various pictures'

In a report filed on October 14, on the inquiry of the stampede, whose integral content was shared by Iberian media on November 14, the Ombudsman questioned several aspects of the version of the facts provided by the Spanish Ministry of Interior.

In particular the Ombudsman did not always agree with the fact that the Civil Guard's response was at all times "proportioned, in-keeping with the law and necessary."

According to the Ombudsman, several pictures showed that, in response to the throwing of objects by the people who had crowded together near one of the gates of the border's infrastructure separating Morocco and Spain, some agents responded throwing rocks against the migrants.

Furthermore, the use of pepper spray by the Civil Guard might have "increased the danger of the situation" in those tense moments, added the Ombudsman.

Doubts persist over rescue operations during the stampede

Lastly, the report indicates that it is unclear if medical staff was able to intervene in time to help the people who "had crushed one on top of the other in the crowd."

This doubt is due to the fact that the only ambulance that could be seen was parked further away.

In October, the Ombudsman had already highlighted the possible police abuses while implementing "express refoulement", which consist of immediate expulsion of migrants who entered illegally on national territory.

On June 24 of last year, approximately 2,000 persons tried to enter Spain by climbing over the wire fences that surround Melilla, one of the two Spanish enclaves -- the other one is Ceuta -- on the northern coast of Morocco.

Two weeks after the deadly stampede, the EU and Morocco agreed to renew their migration partnership to contrast human traffickers, "in particular following the emergence of new methods, which are extremely violent, used by these criminal networks," as declared by the European Commission.

Also read: BBC documentary reveals complicity of Moroccan, Spanish authorities in Melilla tragedy