Spain carried out 470 illegal pushbacks during tragedy in Melilla: Ombudsman

OVIEDO, Spain

Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo said on Friday that Spanish police carried out 470 illegal pushbacks during a mass attempt to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish city of Melilla.

On June 24, around 1,700 migrants stormed the militarized border fence separating Spain’s North African enclave from Morocco.

As the mainly Subsaharan migrants tried to cross into Spain, they were met with violent police reactions from both Spanish and Moroccan authorities.

Videos showed dozens of injured and dead migrants lying in piles on the ground on the Moroccan side of the border, with their hands tied behind their backs.

Spanish daily El Pais reported that even injured migrants who entered Spain were pushed back to Morocco.

Moroccan officials say 23 migrants died in the incident, while other NGOs say the true death toll was 37.

The first results of the ongoing investigation by the Spanish ombudsman found that Spanish authorities pushed back 470 migrants “without complying with national or international legal provisions.”

Gabilondo explained that Spain’s Constitutional Court has ruled that any rejections at the Spanish border should be individualized and comply with international obligations.

Spain’s Interior Ministry had previously admitted to 101 pushbacks.

Spain’s ombudsman added that the Interior Ministry still has not provided all the available images of what happened.

Gabilondo’s office also came up with a series of recommendations for the Interior Ministry, including the “urgent” development of new protocols to ensure any pushback complies with the law.

He also called for a stronger focus on human rights and “improving the treatment of people who cross, or try to cross, the border.”