Defense Minister Margarita Robles has traveled to Ceuta this Monday for the second time since the massive entry of migrant people from Morocco recorded in late July.
On this visit, Robles led an event to award decorations to military personnel who took part in operations of presence, surveillance, deterrence, and support for civil authorities carried out in the autonomous city since July 30.
The ceremony was held at the González-Tablas barracks, headquarters of the Group of Regulares of Ceuta number 54. Within this facility, the head of Defense conveyed the Government’s recognition to the members of the General Command for the work carried out over the past few months.
"Ceuta is an essential and fundamental part of Spain. Our Armed Forces and our servicemen represent here the best of Spain and the best of Ceuta," Robles said in her remarks to the uniformed personnel, their relatives, and the authorities present.
The minister extended her thanks to all the Armed Forces personnel assigned to the city, both to those who were honored and to those who took part in the deployments without receiving a medal.
"It is a source of pride to be able to come here and see the very special bond that exists between Ceuta society and our Armed Forces," said the head of Defense, who maintains that "it doesn’t matter the setting and the difficulties." "You always give the best of yourselves and you are up to what is required of you. You are an example of professionalism, generosity, and empathy," she expressed, addressing the military personnel.
She conveyed to all of them her gratitude, her affection, and her recognition, emphasizing the importance of "working together" to bring "an end" to the complicated situation the city has gone through over the past few months.
The event included the usual military honors, a review of the force formed, and the awarding of distinctions to personnel who took part in operations coordinated by the Land Operational Command, as well as a tribute to the military personnel who died while on duty.
During the day, Robles also held a meeting with family members and military personnel who were injured, as well as with members of the General Command of Ceuta.
On this visit, the minister has been accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Admiral Teodoro Esteban López Calderón; the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Amador Enseñat and Berea; and the head of the Command of the Canary Islands and of the Ground Operational Command, Lieutenant General Julio Salom Herrera. They have also been joined by the commanding general of Ceuta, Luis Jesús Fernández Herrero, and the deputy head of the General Command, Antonio Julián Ferrera Arriba.
The previous visit by Robles to the autonomous city took place on August 12, when she defended Spanish sovereignty over the autonomous cities. At the time, she stated that "you don't touch Ceuta or Melilla" and warned that any aggression against both would amount to an aggression against Spain. As in that trip, on this journey the minister has paused to talk with women from Ceuta before the start of the official events, a gesture of closeness that is not usually repeated among other institutional and political representatives who arrive from Madrid.
Amnesty International Accusations
The presence of the head of Defence comes in a context marked by reports of alleged abuses committed by members of the Armed Forces against migrant people in Ceuta. Amnesty International made public last November 5 a new investigation in which it reports 28 cases of alleged beatings, humiliations, mistreatment and other ill-treatment, including those suffered by 13 minors.
According to the organization, 18 of these episodes would have occurred after the Ministry of Defence announced the opening of an investigation into the first reports of ill-treatment and into the information disseminated by different media outlets.
Amnesty International states that it has documented assaults involving punches, kicks, blows with batons and even electric shocks with Taser devices against migrant people who were sleeping on the street. The entity argues that some of these actions would have caused fractures, contusions and injuries to the head and in other areas of the body.
The organization has also collected testimonies about alleged ill-treatment by agents of the National Police and of the Civil Guard, and has similarly called for these events to be investigated.