Spain to Probe Allegations of Soldier Abuse Against Migrants in Ceuta

A wheelchair-bound migrant suffering severe injuries to his ankles, arms, and torso alleges he was pushed from a height exceeding six metres by soldiers. When Amnesty International interviewed him in Ceuta, he stated he had not been given an X-ray and had only received an emergency bandage.

This account is among those compiled in an investigation detailing beatings, humiliations, and summary expulsions from Ceuta, which the organisation says reveals abuses that could amount to torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Testimonies describe blows from batons and boots, restraint with cable ties, head strikes, and threats ordering victims to leave Ceuta. The organisation says these episodes, which witnesses attribute to members of the Spanish Armed Forces, appear to follow a pattern, particularly in operations by Regulares and Legion units.

Amnesty is calling for independent and exhaustive investigations, along with the establishment of any potential criminal and disciplinary responsibility.

Following the publication of Amnesty International’s report, Spain’s Ministry of Defence told Euronews it has decided to refer the matter to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Duty Court in Ceuta.

The ministry stated: “The Operations Command is urged to investigate and determine any potential individual liability in order to uphold the professional conduct and reputation of the Armed Forces.”

The investigation was conducted in Ceuta between 10 and 15 September. Amnesty interviewed more than 65 people and gathered 22 direct testimonies blaming soldiers for beatings, harassment, humiliations, theft of money, and confiscation or destruction of mobile phones.

The organisation has documented injuries consistent with the migrants’ accounts.

Among the documented cases is a young Moroccan who said he was unable to walk for 25 days after being pushed from a height of at least six metres by a soldier while sleeping near the chapel of San Antonio de Padua. Two other young men reported being struck with batons and punched while immobilised with cable ties. Amnesty says it has verified the marks these restraints left on their wrists.

The organisation also denounces possible unlawful expulsions. According to testimonies and videos it says it accessed, some soldiers allegedly wearing hoods acted at night, beating migrants or spraying them with irritant spray before carrying out summary expulsions over the Tarajal fence back into Morocco.

Amnesty also documents the case of a Yemeni citizen who had expressed his intention to request international protection and says he was expelled without any procedure. According to his account, he was taken with dozens of others to the border and handed over to Moroccan police. The organisation says it has seen documentation supporting his version.

“We have orders to make sure they don’t feel comfortable”

Amnesty’s investigation also reports racist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic harassment spilling into Ceuta’s population. According to the organisation, residents perceived as being of Moroccan origin have been subjected to ID checks or restrictions on access to certain areas of the city, shops, and supermarkets.

Amnesty’s own team says it witnessed one of these incidents. During its visit, several soldiers approached a group of people seated on a bench near the city centre, asked if they were from the area, and ordered them to leave.

When researchers asked why they were being forced to leave, one soldier replied: “We have orders to make sure they don’t feel comfortable.”

Amnesty’s delegation says it also suffered harassment during its investigation. On 11 September, while questioning the removal of people considered migrants from the vicinity of Ceuta University Hospital, its members were asked for identification by the National Police and insulted by soldiers patrolling near the health centre.

Unregistered asylum seekers

Amnesty also warns of possible violations of the right to asylum. During its visit, it interviewed people from conflict-affected countries such as Somalia and Yemen who arrived in Ceuta before 30 July and whose international protection procedures, according to the organisation, had not yet begun.

The organisation says some of these individuals had not even been interviewed to assess vulnerability and had not received sufficient information on how to request international protection.

The investigation also highlights the situation of minors remaining in Ceuta. According to institutional figures gathered by Amnesty, 2,383 unaccompanied migrant children have been identified, with between 500 and 700 still living on the streets without support. Some are as young as 12 or 13.

Amnesty says it has spoken to unaccompanied minors who visit police stations almost daily seeking protection but, according to their testimonies, are repeatedly turned away. The organisation argues this situation breaches protection obligations that must be activated when authorities encounter a child without a responsible adult.

The situation also affects hundreds of women. The organisation estimates around 800, some accompanied by children, are living on the streets. During its visit, it found families sleeping in the open and others housed in improvised spaces without showers or toilets.

Amnesty calls for complaints to be investigated

Following its investigation, Amnesty International sent letters to the prime minister of Spain and the president of Ceuta to share its conclusions and call for urgent measures.

The organisation is calling for a “prompt, impartial, independent and thorough” investigation into the allegations of abuse, including those that may amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. It also demands that soldiers allegedly involved in assaults be temporarily removed from duty while the facts are clarified and any possible criminal and disciplinary responsibilities be determined.

The organisation nonetheless acknowledges the complexity facing the Armed Forces and security forces deployed in Ceuta and recalls that more than 30 migrants have been arrested for assaults on soldiers. It stresses, however, that this does not exempt state agents from their obligation to respect national and international law and human rights.

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