Morocco jails 74 migrants: NGO

RABAT, Morocco (AA) - A Moroccan court has slapped 74 migrants with jail terms for illegally entering the country, according to a local NGO.

The court in the northern Nador city sentenced 62 migrants to four months in prison and eight others to three months, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) said in a statement.

Four other migrants were given a suspended 4-month jail term each, the NGO added.

Prosecutors had accused the migrants of illegally entering Moroccan territory.

The verdicts are still subject to appeal.

In June, hundreds of migrants tried to scale the iron border fence between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla, but were stopped by Moroccan and Spanish forces, leaving at least 23 migrants dead.

For years, North African countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Mauritania have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage to reach their destination, others often die during the journey.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara