HRW call for investigation into immigrant abuse

HRW (Human Rights Watch) have requested that the Spanish government investigate whether the Guardia Civil abused immigrants in Melilla on August 13 when they were coming over the fence.

A video, spread by HRW and recorded by a journalist shows, among other things, how an officer repeatedly hits an immigrant until he falls off the fence.

HRW has sent out a message internationally requesting an investigation into the facts, they are also asking the Spanish government to stop the deportations of the newly arrived immigrants back to Morocco.

European and Asian sub-director of HRW, Benjamin Ward, has commented that Spain has the right to defend its frontiers but this does not give it carte blanche to abuse immigrants.

According to HRW the video shows abuse of authority on two separate occasions and shows a uniformed Guardia Civil officer using a truncheon to beat an immigrant off the fence and in the other instance shows a Guardia Civil officer hitting several immigrants as they are trying to scale the fence.

HRW is also asking for the immediate deportations to cease claiming that the video also shows how a Guardia Civil officer grabs an immigrant from the fence and then shoves him back to the Moroccan side through the gate. 

HRW had already denounced this behaviour back in February 2014.