Moroccan authorities said the deaths occurred on Friday when a “stampede” of people tried to climb the iron border fence that separates Melilla and Morocco. Five rights organisations in Morocco and APDHA, a human rights group based in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, called for inquiries into the violence. The Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH) demanded a “comprehensive, quick and serious enquiry to determine responsibilities and shortcomings”, and warned against burying the bodies of those who died until their deaths had been properly investigated. “They were left there without help for hours, which increased the number of deaths,” the human rights group said on Twitter. “The human rights of migrants and refugees must be respected and situations like that seen cannot happen again,” said Esteban Beltrán, the director of Amnesty International Spain.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 25, 2022 16:41 UTC