Sentenced in Morocco to between three and six months in prison for inciting mass migration to Ceuta

September 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Court of Appeal in Tetouan on Monday sentenced five people to between three and six months in prison for inciting mass migration to Ceuta through posts on social media, which is why it is considered that they participated in some way in the massive assault on the border thwarted in the middle of the month by the Moroccan authorities.

Specifically, two of the convicted men will have to serve a six-month prison sentence, while the remaining three have been sentenced to three months in prison. Trials are scheduled to take place next week for the rest of those arrested – around 150 – for the dissemination of videos on social networks encouraging people to commit crimes in Ceuta, according to Le360 on Tuesday.

An Algerian man will also be tried this week on charges of inciting illegal immigration and spreading “false statements in the media” after he recorded himself encouraging immigration and posing as a Moroccan citizen. Two other Algerians in custody are under investigation on similar charges.

Moroccan authorities have arrested 152 people for inciting illegal migration in connection with recent attempts to access the autonomous city of Ceuta, Moroccan government spokesman Mustafa Baitas said late last week, stressing the special surveillance of social networks.

Nearly 3,000 people were intercepted in the Castillejos area on 15 September, during a massive attempt to enter Ceuta. The Moroccan government has highlighted the work of the security forces and their commitment to the safety of those who wanted to enter Spanish territory illegally.

Baitas regretted all these incidents and stressed that migration is “a present and recurring problem in a large number of countries,” after part of the Moroccan press last week criticized Aziz Ajanuch’s government for its silence following the latest incidents and its lack of measures to address the needs of young people.