Morocco triples jail time for migrants over Melilla border storming

A Moroccan court has tripled jail sentences it gave 18 migrants who tried to storm the Spanish enclave of Melilla earlier this summer.

The migrants were among around 2,000 people, mostly from Sudan, who tried to cross into the heavily fortified enclave 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 lawyer Mbarek Bouirig told AFP.

The migrants had 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 injured in the storming, with human rights groups sharing footage purportedly showing Moroccan officers beating cuffed migrants piled up on the ground.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights blasted the ruling and the "repressive judicial system".

Melilla and Ceuta, Spain's other tiny North African enclave, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants.