MADRID, Sept. 29 (Reuters) – The Spanish Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that it had alerted prosecutors about Amnesty International’s report alleging that soldiers tortured or mistreated migrants in Ceuta, and ordered an internal investigation to determine whether any soldier is culpable.
The human rights organization accused members of the Spanish Armed Forces of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments against migrants detained in the North African enclave, after more than 72,000 crossed the border from Morocco at the end of July.
Although most migrants later returned, at least 10,000 remain in the tiny Spanish enclave in North Africa, overloading local resources and fueling tensions.
The director of Amnesty International Spain, Esteban Beltrán, said to Reuters that the organization had documented 22 cases of torture and abuse by soldiers. In what he described as a recurring pattern, the troops chased, beat and humiliated migrants, including women and unaccompanied children, in nighttime operations.
Amnesty said that the photographs and videos analyzed were consistent with the allegations of excessive use of force, including footage of hooded soldiers assaulting migrants and spraying their faces with irritant substances before pushing them to the other side of the border.
“In light of the Amnesty International report, it was decided to forward it to the prosecutor and the on-call court in Ceuta, as well as to instruct the Operations Command to investigate and clarify any possible individual responsibilities,” the Ministry of Defense said.
James Whitmore