Morocco expels two Amnesty International researchers

Moroccan authorities expelled two Amnesty International researchers they said were in the country without permission to study the treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. A ministry statement said Morocco had asked the human rights organisation to postpone the research until both parties had agreed to it.

"The Amnesty International team was expelled despite having informed authorities of their planned visit," the organisation said in a statement to Reuters. Amnesty said it had received written and verbal assurances that it could visit the country without being required to obtain prior authorisation.

Police questioned the two researchers separately at police stations in Rabat and Oujda, before they were put on separate flights to London and Paris. "The decision to expel our staff from Morocco as they began their investigations into the human rights situation of migrants and refugees raises serious suspicions that the authorities have something to hide," Amnesty said.

The North African kingdom has been working on a plan to grant thousands of sub-Saharan immigrants legal status. Authorities said 27,000 migrants living in Morocco had applied, and 18,000, including all women and children who had applied, were granted residency.

Spain has two enclaves in Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla, and migrants from all over Africa regularly try to reach them either by swimming along the coast or climbing the triple walls that separate them from Morocco. Deaths and injuries are common.

International and local human rights organisations have accused Morocco and Spain of using excessive violence against migrants trying to get to Ceuta and Melilla.   (Reuters)

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