Spain is highlighted in Amnesty International’s annual report for not effectively investigating how authorities responded with violence to attempts to cross the border between Melilla and Morocco in 2022. The document opens with this assessment, signaling concerns about the treatment of migrants and the fulfillment of human rights obligations in Spain.
Nearly two years later, the death of 37 migrants at the hands of security forces remains largely unresolved, and at least 76 others were injured in the same incident. The office of the attorney general concluded that police actions complied with national law, a conclusion Amnesty challenges in its findings.
Amnesty also notes that migrants who reach Spain through Melilla, Ceuta, or the sea face a protracted asylum process, with delays of at least six months before their first interview. During this period, individuals may be expelled, according to the report.
Additionally, the report points to judicial impunity surrounding the Pegasus spyware case, which targeted at least 65 people including journalists, politicians, and civil society members in Catalonia. Among those affected were national leaders and regional officials, underscoring concerns about civil liberties and government oversight.
The European Parliament confirmed these espionage cases involving the Israeli-made software, but there has been no progress in the 13 court complaints filed. The National Court halted the investigation in July due to a lack of cooperation from Israeli authorities, Amnesty states.
<h2 Ayuso in the Spotlight
Amnesty also criticizes Spanish political leaders for failing to assume responsibility for the deaths of up to 35,000 older people in care homes during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. The organization says this constitutes five human rights violations: the right to life, the right to health, equality before the law, privacy and family life, and the right to a dignified death.
Last February, Amnesty directly addressed the Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso over the deaths of 7,291 residents in publicly run homes who could not be transferred to hospitals for care. The report stresses the need for accountability in policy and management during emergencies.
The housing law receives Amnesty scrutiny for lacking mechanisms to monitor rent prices and for not imposing penalties on noncompliant landlords. The law does not ban evictions for those at risk of homelessness nor does it set annual targets to increase the stock of social housing. In Madrid, the Cañada Real neighborhood stands out as Europe’s largest informal settlement, housing about 4,500 people, including 1,800 children, who have lived without electricity for four years.
Despite some progress over the past year, Amnesty notes disappointment with the handling of the Ayuso administration. The report acknowledges the positive step of establishing a law that guarantees access to health services for transgender people and supports the right to gender self-determination, while also condemning the Madrid Assembly for approving measures Amnesty calls regressive. Those measures reportedly limit the federal right to self-identify and restrict educational initiatives that promote LGBTQI rights.
In sum, Amnesty International presents a mixed picture: some forward movement on rights protections, but persistent gaps in accountability, asylum processes, and housing policy that affect vulnerable populations across Spain.