Amnesty International and 12 other human rights groups urged the United Nations and Europe on Thursday to press Spain to stop the "illegal" deportations of migrants who reach its territories in north Africa.
Spain's conservative government has said it will pass a legal amendment authorising police to expel migrants who climb over the fences from Morocco into Melilla and Ceuta, two Spanish-governed territories which have Europe's only land borders with Africa.
Amnesty led a group of 13 Spanish and international rights groups in writing to top migration officials "demanding them to pressure the Spanish government to withdraw the planned amendment".
Spanish authorities say thousands of Africans have tried to climb over the seven-meter (23-foot) high fences into Melilla and Ceuta this year, causing numerous migrants and police officers to get injured.
Human rights groups complain Spain has been breaking the law by instantly deporting such migrants, saying this denies those fleeing war and persecution the right to apply for asylum.
One local rights group, Prodein, on October 15 filmed Spanish officers beating a migrant as he clung to the fence and then carrying him apparently unconscious back to the Moroccan side.
If the new measure is passed, "it will formalise this practice of illegally deporting migrants and asylum seekers to Morocco," Amnesty said in a statement.
"Automatic deportations violate EU law as well as Spain's obligations under international laws of human and refugees' rights."
Amnesty said the 13 groups sent letters to Francois Crepeau, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights.
Spain's government denies that migrants who make it over the fence should be considered as having reached Spanish territory and says it has the right to deport those it catches climbing over.
It blames human-trafficking gangs for bringing the migrants to the border and says the European Union has a duty to help it shoulder the burden of the problem.
Amnesty International and 12 other human rights groups urged the United Nations and Europe on Thursday to press Spain to stop the “illegal” deportations of migrants who reach its territories in north Africa.
Spain’s conservative government has said it will pass a legal amendment authorising police to expel migrants who climb over the fences from Morocco into Melilla and Ceuta, two Spanish-governed territories which have Europe’s only land borders with Africa.
Amnesty led a group of 13 Spanish and international rights groups in writing to top migration officials “demanding them to pressure the Spanish government to withdraw the planned amendment”.
Spanish authorities say thousands of Africans have tried to climb over the seven-meter (23-foot) high fences into Melilla and Ceuta this year, causing numerous migrants and police officers to get injured.
Human rights groups complain Spain has been breaking the law by instantly deporting such migrants, saying this denies those fleeing war and persecution the right to apply for asylum.
One local rights group, Prodein, on October 15 filmed Spanish officers beating a migrant as he clung to the fence and then carrying him apparently unconscious back to the Moroccan side.
If the new measure is passed, “it will formalise this practice of illegally deporting migrants and asylum seekers to Morocco,” Amnesty said in a statement.
“Automatic deportations violate EU law as well as Spain’s obligations under international laws of human and refugees’ rights.”
Amnesty said the 13 groups sent letters to Francois Crepeau, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights.
Spain’s government denies that migrants who make it over the fence should be considered as having reached Spanish territory and says it has the right to deport those it catches climbing over.
It blames human-trafficking gangs for bringing the migrants to the border and says the European Union has a duty to help it shoulder the burden of the problem.
