Sumar demands Margarita Robles act after reports of beatings attributed to soldiers in Ceuta: "Defense would be an accomplice if it doesn't"

Sumar has demanded this Wednesday from the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, that she open an investigation into the complaints of beatings, robberies, and vexations allegedly committed by military personnel deployed in Ceuta against migrants, including several minors. The party demands identifying those responsible, imposing the corresponding sanctions, and transferring any possible criminal conduct to the Prosecutor's Office.

The request comes after an investigation published by 'elDiario.es' gathered about twenty direct testimonies and documented injuries, hospital admissions, and medical reports. These accounts are joined by nearly a hundred cases detected by organizations working on the ground.

The spokesperson for Sumar in Congress, Verónica Martínez Barbero, has stated that the accusations cause "enormous concern and indignation" and describe actions contrary to the democratic values that the Armed Forces should represent.

"Robles cannot remain inactive in the face of these events," warned Martínez Barbero before demanding that the Ministry of Defense investigate, offer explanations, and clear up responsibilities. "If she does not, Defense would be complicit in human rights violations," she added.

Testimonies, images, and medical reports

The people interviewed by 'elDiario.es' attribute the aggressions to certain patrols made up of regulars and legionnaires. The testimonies describe blows with batons, theft of money and mobile phones, threats of return to Morocco, and forced transfers to remote areas of the city.

Several migrants also claim that they were forced to shave their hair or suffered cuts made against their will as a form of humiliation. One of the medical reports consulted by the aforementioned newspaper states that the patient reported having been hit by military personnel with a baton on the face, a leg, and an elbow.

Another of the investigated episodes occurred during the early hours of September 11 in the neighborhood of Los Rosales. Three young people were taken to the hospital with injuries after a military operation near a ruined house where a group of migrants was sleeping. One of them was 17 years old and had blood on his lips and recent marks on his head, according to the published account.

These accusations must be verified through an official investigation that allows identifying the patrols, collecting medical reports, and hearing both the complainants and the accused military personnel. Government sources consulted by 'elDiario.es' have stated that until now they had no record of any formal complaint, although they have condemned any violence and have assured that all possible aggression will be investigated.

The Army was deployed last July 30, in the midst of a massive influx of migrants, to support the Civil Guard in border surveillance and the recovery of security. The troops remained under the coordination of the Operations Command, while ordinary functions of citizen security, immigration, and public order continued to correspond to the National Police and the Civil Guard.

The scope of these military actions had already opened a political debate. The PP promoted an initiative in the Senate this Tuesday to temporarily grant the status of agents of authority to the troops stationed in Ceuta, with the aim of expanding their legal protection and their capacity for intervention.

Sumar asks to identify those responsible

The spokesperson for Interior and Justice of Sumar and leader of Izquierda Unida, Enrique Santiago, has stressed that the complaints are directed against specific groups and has rejected extending any accusation to the Armed Forces as a whole. In his opinion, the commanders know which units patrolled each area and can identify the members of the devices that appear in the videos.

"It is quite simple to locate who those rotten apples are," Santiago said. The deputy believes that military legal services should act on their own initiative and inform the Prosecutor's Office of possible criminal actions, in addition to initiating the corresponding disciplinary proceedings.

Santiago also recalled that Sumar conveyed its concern from the Congress tribune two weeks ago and subsequently registered a written statement about the situation. As he explained, Defense has not yet communicated the adoption of measures and maintains, at least, a surveillance responsibility over the deployed units.

The first secretary of the Congress Bureau and co-spokesperson for the Comuns, Gerardo Pisarello, has accused the PSOE of remaining immobile in the face of complaints he considers especially serious. "How are we going to differentiate ourselves from the far-right discourses if we start making this turn?" he asked after demanding an immediate reaction from Robles.

Podemos has gone a step further and has demanded the temporary suspension of employment and salary and the withdrawal of weapons from military personnel who may be involved while what happened is clarified. The party maintains that, if their participation is proven, those responsible should be expelled from the Armed Forces.

The requested investigation must now determine the veracity and scope of each testimony. The commitment conveyed so far by government sources is that "any aggression that may have been committed will be investigated."