Mr. Mariano Rajoy Brey
Minister of Interior
Paseo de la Castellana, 5
28046 Madrid
Spain

Fax: ++ 34 91 537 1003

Dear Minister,

I am writing to express my concern about abuses of children in Ceuta and Melilla described in the Human Rights Watch report, Nowhere to Turn: State Abuses of Unaccompanied Migrant Children by Spain and Morocco. The report documents cases of children who were beaten or ill-treated by National Police or Civil Guard, subjected to unlawful expulsions, or denied rights and services guaranteed them in Organic Law 4/2000 (as amended).

I urge you to halt immediately all unlawful expulsions of unaccompanied migrant children, investigate all reports of unlawful expulsions and police abuse, and to take appropriate legal and disciplinary action against those responsible. The Ministry of Interior should immediately make public detailed guidelines on the application of the provisions of Organic Law 4/2000 (as amended) and its regulations affecting unaccompanied migrant children, and monitor and make public information about their implementation.

I look forward to receiving your reply, and thank you for your attention to this important human rights matter.

Sincerely,