Samantha Mythen
A MOROCCAN border guard says his physical and mental safety are in ‘serious danger’ if he is returned to his home country.
The 38-year-old National Police Officer, born in Al Hoceima, walked the 50 metres from his sentry box to Spain’s Tarajal border in Ceuta, to request asylum last week.
“My asylum request is not only for humanitarian reasons, but essentially for political reasons. Returning to Morocco would mean facing torture, persecution, and possibly physical elimination,” he told local media outlet El Faro.
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Although his asylum request was rejected, the National Court issued a precautionary measure on Friday allowing him to remain in Spain until a decision on his appeal is made. He is ‘under guard, not detained,’ the asylum seeker told El Pais.
He made the decision to seek asylum in Spain six months ago. “The harassment and discrimination from the police chiefs forced me to go straight to the border: it was the only option they left me,” he said.
The asylum seeker said his Rif origins, an ethnic group in Morocco’s northeast, and his complaints of witnessing police bribery, resulted in professional discrimination where he could not advance in rank.
It’s not the first time someone from the Moroccan security forces has requested asylum in Ceuta.
According to Moroccan news website Bladi.net, a member of the Auxiliary Forces attempted to reach Ceuta via jet ski to claim asylum in September last year. Several Auxiliary Forces members swam to Ceuta to ask for asylum in July 2021, after more than 7000 migrants stormed the Spanish enclave.
Almost a year later in June 2022, at least 27 migrants and asylum seekers died after 2000 people tried to climb the border fence into Melilla, another Spanish north African territory. Amnesty International claimed the ‘widespread use of unlawful force’ by both Moroccan and Spanish authorities led to their deaths.
“I have suffered injustice, oppression, and psychological torture that have left a deep mark. I hope my voice is heard, that my case is treated fairly,” the asylum seeker said.
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