Breadcrumb
Morocco triples jail time for migrants over Melilla border storming
A court has tripled jail sentences it gave 18 migrants who tried to earlier this summer.
The migrants were among around 2,000 people, mostly from Sudan, who tried to to enter Europe in June.
"Eighteen migrants arrested on 24 June have been sentenced by the Nador appeal court to three years in prison," defence lawyerÌýMbarek Bouirig told AFP.
The migrantsÌýhad initially been sentenced to 11 months in prison.
They had been convicted of "illegal entry into Morocco", "violence against law enforcement officers", "armed gathering" and "refusal to comply", AFP reported.
At least 23 migrants were killed and hundreds injuredÌýin the storming, with human rights groups sharingÌýfootage purportedly showing Moroccan officersÌýbeating cuffed migrants piled up on the ground.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights blasted the ruling and the "repressive judicial system".
Melilla andÌý, Spain's other tiny North African enclave, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants.