The Moroccan authorities must put an end to impunity for racist violence and hate crime against migrants and refugees and respect their rights guaranteed by national and international law.
On 30 August 2014, a group of Sub-Saharan nationals was attacked in Tangier, leaving a 26-year-old man dead, and many others injured. 27 migrants were then arrested whilst protesting peacefully following the tragic event. They were found guilty of participating in an “undeclared demonstration” within 3 days only.
Nineteen of them were hastily deported, while the others were detained arbitrarily in Casablanca Airport’s basement in complete disregard for their procedural rights. Thanks to the action of migrants’ rights organisations, they were released after going on hunger strike.
Moreover, on 16 September, 25 Sub-Saharan nationals have been arrested by the authorities and 11 of them have already been deported in denial to rights to effective remedy and to their procedural rights.
EMHRN expresses grave concerns over the infringement on the right to free assembly and the right to a fair trial, arbitrary arrests, deportation and deprivation of liberty in denial of the procedural guarantees enshrined in both national and international law.
EMHRN denounces the lethal violence against migrants, exerted in total impunity. EMHRN regrets that, despite the large media coverage on these events, the authorities neither publicly condemn these attacks nor took action to put an end to them.
This tragic event is yet another example of the violence targeting foreigners in Morocco. Attacks have soared over the past few months, reaching alarming proportions. Six migrants have died since last year, according to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH).[1]
Given the recent issuance of a national strategy on immigration and asylum, vowing better integration prospects for migrants, EMHRN calls upon the Moroccan authorities to react promptly to these events, sending a clear signal that hate crime and racism will not be tolerated.
[1] http://www.amdh.org.ma/fr/communiques/sit-in-halt-racisme