Human rights defenders are calling for accountability among Moroccan and Spanish authorities – two years after deadly violence against migrants erupted at the border of the Spanish enclave of Melilla.

Authorities on both sides of the border must "shed full light on this massacre and finally respond to the victims’ and their families’ demands for truth and justice," the organization Border Forensics stated in their new report released on Tuesday (June 18).

What happened on June 24, 2022 in Melilla?

On June 24, 2022, around two thousand migrants attempted to cross the border fence separating the city of Nador, in the northeast of Morocco, from the Spanish-controlled enclave of Melilla. The tragedy claimed the lives of 23 people according to the Moroccan authorities (27 people according to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH). 

"The violent repression inflicted on them [migrants] by Moroccan and Spanish law enforcement agents turned the Barrio Chino border crossing into a death trap and resulted in a mass grave," the report said.

"Our analysis shows that the many dead and missing during the massacre of 24 June 2022 were no accident. On the contrary, the migrants were repeatedly directed towards the Barrio Chino border crossing, and violently repressed by Moroccan and Spanish law enforcement agents once they were trapped there," the report concluded. Most of the victims were sub-Saharan Africans.

Organizations slam 'system of racist repression at the border'

Border Forensics, which uses spatial and visual analysis to investigate practices of border violence, released the report in collaboration with the Defense of Human Rights Iridia and the AMDH. Border Forensics said it looked at satellite images and collected the testimonies of more than 30 survivors. The report was funded by the Germany-based organizations Pro Asyl, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Rosa Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung.

The document, entitled "A counter-investigation into the racist massacre of 24 June 2022," contradicts the conclusions of the official documents on the Melilla tragedy.

"Official Spanish and Moroccan discourse asserts that it was the belligerence of the migrants themselves that necessitated the repression and their pushing and shoving inside the border crossing that caused the deaths that day," the report stated. "While the Spanish authorities try to absolve themselves of any responsibility by arguing that what was happening in the courtyard under Moroccan operational control was invisible and that no deaths occurred on Spanish territory, our counter-investigation refutes each of these allegations."

According to Border Forensics, Morocco used its judicial system to "continue repressing the survivors of the massacre," instead of determining those responsible. Some of the survivors have been sentenced to prison for alleged acts of violence and other offenses.

The Spanish prosecutor has not found any evidence of violations and has closed his investigation, the report added.

"Moreover, far from being dismantled, the border fence has been reinforced and, although border crossings have decreased since 24 June 2022, the system of racist repression at the border remains unchanged," Border Forensics wrote.

'Impunity for violence'

Border Forensics also criticized European and Spanish policies of "externalizing migration control established over more than two decades, Moroccan migration diplomacy, impunity for violence perpetrated over many years, and the daily racist repression deployed against Black people in the area."

In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, the Moroccan and Spanish authorities denied responsibility and "continue to do so to this day," it added.

In response to InfoMigrants' request for comment on the Border Forensics report, a spokesperson from the communications department at Spain's Interior Ministry stated that the country's Civil Guard "acted with proportionality and legality, with absolute respect for human rights." 

In addition, the spokesperson said the State Attorney General's Office has closed its investigation into June 24, 2022, "without identifying any violations or negligent behavior on the part of the State Security Forces." He added that an investigation opened by the Ombudsman also concluded with the same results.

Morocco's Interior Ministry did not respond to InfoMigrants' request for comment.

Following the Melilla tragedy, Morocco expressed regret over the loss of life and emphasized that the border crossing attempt was marked by extreme violence against Moroccan border forces. The country also announced it would open an investigation and reiterated its commitment to border security and the prevention of irregular migration.

 The full report can be found here: A counter-investigation into the racist massacre of 24 June 2022