ISSUE 647 • 27th July - 2nd August 2018
EST 2005
In ‘dungeons’
Man cleared of kidnap rap
A TRADE UNION representing police officers in Almeria has claimed migrants arriving in the province are held in ‘dungeons’ and children locked in cells in a call to improve conditions. The Federal Police Union in Almeria (UFP) has written to the gover nment’s representative in the province and to an Ombudsman over the state of migrant reception facilities in Almeria’s port. It comes as the union also requested at least 50 reinforcements for the port amidst concerns rising numbers of arrivals are causing police provision to ‘collapse’ in other areas. Raimundo Morales, a spokesperson for the union, said cells where migrants including women and children were being held were
CREDIT: Human Rights Watch
By Jose Artur
‘LAMENTABLE’: The UFP has called for improvements to migrant reception centres (archive). in a “lamentable” condition. “Reception centres are crowded due to the number of people being held in them exc e e d i n g c a p a c i t y, ” Morales said. “Mats in poor condition are passed from one person to another without time to wash or disinfect them. There have been several cas-
THE number of people out of work in Almeria Province fell by around 7,200 in the second quar ter of this year, according to National Institute of Statistics (INE) data. The province came in fifth out of the eight that make up Andalucia for the rate of unemployment which stood at around 22.5 per cent.
es of lice infestation and some cases of suspected tuberculosis,” he added. Morales said many migrants were arriving w i t h A I D S , l e p r o s y, syphilis and gonorrhoea. He called on the government to provide a clear vaccination plan and to support other groups working with
Jobless fall The total number of jobless people in Almeria is estimated to be around 74,800, acc o r d i n g t o t h e I N E ’s S u r v e y
the arrivals. The spokesperson added rising numbers of migrants and officers holidaying for the summer were placing a strain on Almeria’s police. “We’re talking about arrival numbers that are already around 3,000 migrants in the first half of this year,” he said.
of Active Population (EPA). Cadiz Province had the highest rate of unemployment in Andalucia at more than 26.8 per cent. It was followed by Cordoba with more than 25.6, Jaen with 24.7, Granada with 23.8, Almeria, Sevilla at more than 22.1, Huelva, 20.9 and Malaga, 20.2.
A MAN accused of the attempted kidnap of two drug traffickers in Nijar has been acquitted by an Almeria court. The suspect, named locally by his initials JASL but known to police as ‘El Culebro,’ had faced a 16-year jail term over the allegations. A court ruling said that while someone did try to abduct alleged drug gang members Jose AB, now deceased, and Miguel AT on a rural road, there is no evidence to suggest the defendant was involved. The pair were attacked in broad daylight by ‘unidentified persons’ driving a stolen Volvo car near La Choza de San Isidro, the court heard. It is believed the incident was connected to a gangland battle sparked by the theft of a hashish shipment. Jose AB reportedly managed to escape on foot after fleeing through a plastic greenhouse, while Miguel AT was saved by his brother who crashed his vehicle into the assailants’ car. The Volvo was later found torched in the car park of Almeria City’s Torrecardenas Hospital.