Ceuta Migrant Abuse Allegations Prompt Spanish Probe

Three members of the European Parliament described conditions in Ceuta as “grim” and worsening after a large influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave two months earlier. The lawmakers made their comments at a press conference in Brussels following a fact-finding visit. Although most of an estimated 72,000 arrivals were returned to neighbouring Morocco within days, several thousand are believed to remain in Ceuta. Spain’s national government estimates that around 5,000 people, including 1,200 minors, are still there; the local government gives a higher figure. Estrella Galán, of The Left, warned that Ceuta must not become a place where rights are reduced or an open-air refugee camp. She said keeping thousands of people in makeshift emergency camps was not a solution. Jaume Asens, of the Greens, alleged that the lawmakers had found evidence of torture and inhumane treatment by military forces. He described a pattern of night patrols and beatings, as well as claims that migrants were robbed and forced to shave their hair or kneel and kiss a Christian cross or the Spanish flag. Asens said the state was violating the rights of people it should be protecting. Amnesty International has also accused Spain’s armed forces of torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment. In response to the allegations, the Spanish government ordered the military to conduct an internal investigation to identify anyone potentially responsible. The influx placed significant pressure on resources in a city of about 84,000 residents and angered many locals. Ceuta’s authorities said Spain’s central government had ignored warning signs before the border was breached.

Amnesty International says it documented alleged abuses against migrants in Ceuta, including beatings, humiliations, racial profiling and summary expulsions that may amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Its investigation, conducted from 10 to 15 September, included interviews with more than 65 people and 22 direct testimonies. Witnesses accused members of Spain’s Armed Forces—particularly Regulares and Legion units—of using batons and boots, restraining people with cable ties, threatening them and confiscating or destroying phones. Amnesty says it verified injuries and restraint marks. One Moroccan man reported being pushed from a height of more than six metres and being unable to walk for 25 days; others described assaults while restrained. The organisation also cited accounts and videos alleging that hooded soldiers beat or sprayed migrants before returning them to Morocco over the Tarajal fence, including a Yemeni man who says he was expelled despite seeking international protection. Spain’s Defence Ministry told Euronews that the report would be referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Ceuta’s Duty Court, and that the Operations Command had been asked to identify potential individual responsibility. Amnesty is calling for an independent, impartial and thorough investigation, as well as possible criminal and disciplinary action. It also reports harassment of residents perceived as Moroccan, inadequate access to asylum procedures, and serious gaps in protection for children and women. Amnesty cites 2,383 identified unaccompanied migrant children, with 500 to 700 reportedly living on the streets, and estimates that about 800 women, some with children, are also living outdoors. The organisation acknowledges the difficult conditions facing security forces and notes that more than 30 migrants have been arrested for assaults on soldiers, but says this does not remove state agents’ human-rights obligations.

Spain’s Defence Ministry has referred an Amnesty International report to prosecutors and ordered an internal investigation into allegations that Spanish military personnel tortured or otherwise mistreated migrants in Ceuta. The report concerns migrants who became stranded in the North African Spanish enclave after more than 72,000 people crossed from Morocco in late July. Most later returned, but at least 10,000 remained, putting pressure on local resources and contributing to tensions. Amnesty International Spain Director Esteban Beltran said the organization had documented 22 cases of alleged torture and abuse. He described what Amnesty considered a pattern of nighttime operations in which troops allegedly pursued, beat and humiliated migrants, including women and unaccompanied children. The group said photographs and videos it reviewed were consistent with allegations of excessive force, including footage or images of hooded personnel striking migrants, spraying irritants in their faces and pushing them across the border. The Defence Ministry said it had sent the report to the prosecutor’s office and the duty court in Ceuta, and instructed the Operations Command to investigate and clarify whether individual personnel were responsible. Beltran welcomed the decision but said it should have been taken earlier. He called for an exhaustive investigation and for any implicated personnel to be suspended as a precaution while responsibility is determined. Amnesty also urged authorities to improve humanitarian assistance for migrants still sleeping outdoors in Ceuta. Beltran said their living conditions were deplorable. The article reports the allegations and official response without presenting the claims as independently established findings.