Article author:
Associated Press
Rabat, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan court has banned 13 migrants, mostly from Sudan, in a massive attempt to widen the border fence separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
The verdict handed down Wednesday in the northern Moroccan city of Nador was the latest and harshest sentence handed down after dozens were arrested in an attempted crossing on 24 June. rice field. At least 23 people died that day in what Moroccan authorities call a "stampede" as hundreds of people rushed against fences desperately trying to reach Europe.
The Moroccan Human Rights Association described Wednesday's ruling as "a very harsh judgment that shows the judiciary has been mobilized for immigration policy at the expense of asylum-seeking migrants." said there is.
Thirteen were charged with various charges, including illegal entry into Moroccan territory, violence against public officials, armed assembly, disobedience, joining gangs to organize and facilitate smuggling abroad, and arson. Convicted. The court also ordered each defendant to pay her 1,000 dirhams (nearly $100).
Most of the 13 were from Sudan, others from Chad and South Sudan, according to activists who followed the incident.
Last month, another court in Nador sentenced 33 people to 11 months in prison for an attempted river crossing on 24 June. That court also earlier this month sentenced 14 people in the same case to eight months in prison.
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https://apnews.com/hub/migration
