Spotlight on Morocco Migrants’ Tragedy: Daily Brief

At least 23 African men died at the Melilla-Morocco border on June 24 when as many as 2,000 people tried to enter Spain by climbing the high chain-link fences surrounding Melilla, one of two Spanish enclaves in North Africa. “Video and photographs show bodies strewn on the ground in pools of blood, Moroccan security forces kicking and beating people, and Spanish Guardia Civil launching teargas at men clinging to fences,” said HRW’s Judith Sunderland. HRW echoes calls by Moroccan, and Spanish organizations, the UN and African Union for an immediate inquiry into this incident. However, reports that Morocco is organizing hasty mass burials is worrying because evidence preservation is critical for credible investigation. The families of the dead deserve justice. 

Last Thursday, Pakistan’s High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued an order saying that in cases where there is sufficient evidence of enforced disappearance, the state is obligated to trace the whereabouts of the disappeared person. This a glimmer of hope for hundreds of victims of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. However, this is the latest in a series of court directives over the years that have so far failed to stop security agencies from secretly detaining and disappearing people. Since March 2011, thousands of complaints of enforced disappearances have been received by Pakistan’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. The ruling is an opportunity for Pakistan’s new government to show that it is serious about ending this abuse.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman is a brutal dictator. The country harshly silences critics, and tortures women’s rights activists. Since 2015, a Saudi- and United Arab Emirates-led coalition has repeatedly bombed Yemeni civilians. Riyadh has made no serious attempt to provide justice for war crimes against Yemeni civilians. US President Joe Biden was right to maintain distance from Saudi Arabia. But now Biden chooses to embrace Bin Salman, meeting him to supposedly lower fuel prices and strengthen the alliance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a direct challenge to democracy. There’s no justification to prioritize trade over the lives of Saudis who suffer at the hands of a tyrant. US should not rehabilitate Saudi’s dismal global image.

Millions of people in the Americas live in countries with marriage-equality laws, but the region has a way to go before becoming a true beacon for same-sex couples. The Americas generally acknowledge that in such a diverse region, the rights to privacy, equality, and non-discrimination foster societal harmony. But the need for real protection is hindered by some conservative and religious actors, including in the United States and Costa Rica, who undermine the legitimacy of marriage equality. Ecuador bars same-sex couples from adopting children. LGBT people in, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico continue to suffer of violence and discrimination. Leaders should continue to promote the principles of equality for LGBT people through public statements and education campaigns.