Moroccan rights group demands probe into Ceuta border events

A Moroccan human rights organization has called for a thorough judicial inquiry into the events that transpired in the city of Fnideq and around the occupied Ceuta border crossing. The regional office of the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima demanded an independent, impartial, and effective investigation into all fatalities, injuries, disappearances, and allegations of excessive force.

The league stressed that while state responsibility for border security and public order is legitimate, its exercise must adhere to legality, necessity, proportionality, and accountability. They emphasized that these measures should be coupled with public policies that tackle the root causes of irregular migration. This includes establishing a development model based on social justice, equal opportunities, the right to decent work, and regional development, aligning with Morocco's 2011 constitution and international human rights commitments.

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We call for an independent, impartial, and effective judicial investigation into all the deaths, injuries, disappearances, and allegations of the use of force during the events that the city of Fnideq and the vicinity of the occupied Ceuta border crossing witnessed.

The report also recommended that families of victims and the injured receive the right to truth, justice, and reparations, along with legal, psychological, and social support. It called for an independent assessment of the security interventions during these events, ensuring the right to life and physical integrity during law enforcement operations, and upholding the legal guarantees for detainees, including the right to defense, presumption of innocence, and a fair trial.

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Ensuring border security and protecting public order are legitimate responsibilities of the state, but their exercise must remain subject to the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and accountability.

Economically and socially, the document urged compensation for those who suffered material losses, particularly owners of vehicles and property damaged or burned. It also called for an emergency plan to support Fnideq's local economy and job creation programs for youth, especially in the northern regions. A national, multi-dimensional strategy to address irregular migration, tackling its economic, social, and cultural causes, was also proposed, alongside enhanced dialogue with youth to involve them in public policy development related to employment, migration, and development.

The league further urged the National Human Rights Council to conduct an independent fact-finding mission and the Public Prosecution to ensure the effectiveness and independence of ongoing investigations. Parliament was called upon to initiate institutional discussions on the growing phenomenon of irregular migration and to evaluate public policies concerning youth, employment, and regional development. On an international level, the organization called on Spanish authorities to investigate allegations of violence or degrading treatment against Moroccan migrants in occupied Ceuta and urged both the Moroccan and Spanish governments, with EU support, to enhance cooperation on migration management based on human rights and shared responsibility, prioritizing the saving of lives and protection of vulnerable groups. The league concluded that the events in Fnideq and around the occupied Ceuta border crossing are a worrying indicator of deepening social and economic imbalances.

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We recommend enabling the families of the victims and the injured to have the right to truth, justice, and reparations, along with providing legal, psychological, and social support.