Moroccan rights group reports migration violations to UN, Spanish ambassador

The Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights has submitted a report documenting alleged human rights violations linked to migration and attempts to cross into Ceuta and Melilla to United Nations human rights mechanisms and Spanish authorities.

In a statement published Saturday, the group said it had submitted the report to the special procedures of the U.N. Human Rights Council and shared its findings with relevant U.N. mechanisms.

The league said the report was addressed to several U.N. special rapporteurs whose mandates cover the rights of migrants, torture, racism and xenophobia, violence against women and girls, human trafficking, and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

It also referred the findings to U.N. mechanisms dealing with children’s rights and other areas covered by the report.

The rights group said it had separately contacted Spain’s ambassador to Morocco and sent a full copy of the report to the Spanish Embassy in Rabat, accompanied by a letter setting out its concerns and demands.

Among its demands, the league called for the circumstances surrounding the reported violations to be established, responsibility to be determined and the rights of victims, missing people and their families to be protected.

The organization said the submission marked only the beginning of its efforts and pledged to continue raising the issue with U.N. bodies, international institutions and human rights organizations while following up on any responses or action.

The league also renewed its call for an independent and transparent investigation into alleged violations against migrants, including efforts to establish the fate of people reported missing and identify those responsible.

It called for accountability at both the individual and institutional levels, including for those involved in command, supervision and decision-making.

The group further called for victims and their families to have access to the truth, redress and effective remedies in accordance with international human rights law.