Spain deports 16 failed asylum seekers from Ceuta to Morocco in the first such removal since July's mass border crossing

Spain's Interior Ministry has defended the deportation of 16 failed asylum seekers — nationals of Senegal, Nigeria, Yemen, Cameroon and Bangladesh — to Morocco, saying all required safeguards were observed and that Morocco holds EU-designated safe-country status. Amnesty International called the move "hypocritical," arguing the country "does not respect many human rights."

The removal from Ceuta is the first since July's mass border crossing, which drew widespread global media coverage.

Amnesty's Virginia Alvarez said Spain "is not ensuring that human rights guarantees are met for people who cross its borders in Ceuta and Melilla."

The deportations come ahead of November elections, with NGOs warning that Morocco routinely cracks down on free expression and the right to protest peacefully.