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ARCHIVED - Spanish Interior Minister refuses to answer European Parliament questions on Melilla massacre
The minister wants to wait until current investigations into the massacre are completed in Spain before offering “more complete information”
Spain’s Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has declined a request to attend a debate staged by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and the Interior (LIBE) of the European Parliament on the so-called ‘Melilla massacre’, a tragedy which resulted in the deaths of at least 23 migrants who stormed the Spain-Morocco border last June.
LIBE will conduct its session on Thursday November 17 without Grande-Marlaska, who dodged the invitation on the grounds that the Spanish authorities and the Ombudsman are already independently investigating the incident.
The minister maintains that it would not be appropriate to attend the call until the open investigations are concluded, after which point he has agreed, “if necessary,” to offer “more complete information” to LIBE members about the role of the Spanish authorities at the Moroccan border.
The situation came to a head earlier this month following a BBC documentary entitled ‘Death on the border’ which raised questions about the Spanish police force’s inaction in the face of the violence of Moroccan agents and the accusation that several migrants died on Spanish territory.
The programme caused waves across the world but after its airing, Grande-Marlaska reiterated his support of the actions of the Spanish police and commended their ability to “deal with any violent event on the border”.
In subsequent interviews, the minister insisted that Guardia Civil officers acted within “parameters of legality and proportionality” following his order to repel any “violent attack“ on the border with “absolute respect for human rights”.
All images and footage of the tragedy have been handed over to the State Attorney General’s Office and the Ombudsman and will form a central part of their investigations.
The Ombudsman has already released a report which casts serious doubts on the version of events presented by the minister, and the office has called for the illegal expulsion of people to stop and for a joint intervention protocol to be drawn up with Morocco to prevent similar situations in the future.
Aún no me he enterado.
— javier bernardo (@JaviBernardoP) November 15, 2022
Esto fue una acción coordinada? Descoordinada? Improvisada?
Agentes marroquíes golpeando y deteniendo a personas en suelo español.#FronteraSur
📷 @JaviBernardoP pic.twitter.com/Q7qUg4yotX
Image: @JaviBernardoP on Twitter
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