A court in the northern Moroccan city of Tetouan has sentenced seven taxi drivers to up to six months in prison and fined each $1,070 for helping people cross illegally into Spain's Ceuta enclave. This is the first court ruling in Morocco related to the surge of more than 70,000 people entering the small Spanish North African territory over the past week, reports infohub.kz.
According to the ruling, the taxi drivers were found guilty of "facilitating the illegal exit of Moroccans and foreigners through unauthorized border points" and "transporting passengers without a license." They had driven clients to the border town of Fnideq. The text of the verdict was published on the website of the Ministry of Justice.
The drivers were sentenced on Monday. They appeared without lawyers because of a nationwide lawyers' strike. They retain the right to appeal. One vehicle was confiscated.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights said on Friday that 111 people are in pre-trial detention following the Ceuta events. They face charges of mass rebellion, assaulting public officials, and obstructing traffic. Morocco's Justice Ministry and the public prosecutor's office declined to comment.
Labor unions, including the national taxi union, condemned the verdict as "shocking and harsh." In a statement, they noted that "no official decision was issued imposing restrictions on passenger transport." Ali Younes, secretary general of the Tetouan branch of the national taxi union, told the Associated Press: "Taxi drivers cannot be held responsible for what happened. They were punished simply for providing a public service."
Fueled by false social media rumors that the border was open and economic hardship, tens of thousands of Moroccans crossed or swam into Ceuta, a Spanish city on the North African coast. The event resonated across Europe. More than 80 people died on both sides of the border. Nearly all surviving migrants were expelled by Spanish authorities or returned voluntarily. An estimated 1,000 minors remain, their future uncertain.
Meanwhile, the European Union police agency Europol announced on Friday that an international police operation led by Spanish authorities dismantled a major criminal network trafficking migrants, drugs, and weapons across the Western Mediterranean. The operation resulted in 78 arrests in Spain and Algeria in June, weeks before the migrant surge into Ceuta.