The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called for an investigation into incidents in which Spanish border guards have harassed and assaulted journalists near the Moroccan border crossing point outside Melilla.

According to the IFJ affiliate in Morocco, the Syndicat national de la presse marocaine, Younes Aftit, a journalist working for the daily Assabahia, on Monday was set upon by a Spanish guard who then went on to assault and threaten him with his gun, with apparently no other reason than Aftit was taking pictures.

We are greatly disturbed by this attack," said IFJ President Jim Boumelha, "and we join our affiliate, the SNPM, in demanding that the Spanish government start an inquiry in this incident and give us an explanation. It is appalling that a journalist is treated in such an unprovoked fashion and openly threatened with a gun for just doing his job."

According to the SNPM, this is not the first time that the Spanish police assaulted Moroccan journalists. The union has written to the Moroccan authorities citing other instances of assaults and asking them to inquire immediately and transparently into this latest example, and give a serious commitment to ending the violence against journalists.

For more information contact the IFJ at +32 2 235 2207

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide