The CGPJ reinforces the courts of Ceuta in the face of migratory pressure

The migratory pressure registered in Ceuta has led this Tuesday to the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) to reinforce the courts of the autonomous city: one judge will join the guard service and another to the Violence against Women service. This was agreed this Tuesday by the Permanent Commission of the CGPJ after analyzing the report that it commissioned on the 5th from the Inspection Service.

The document warns that what happened those days "has extraordinarily affected the development of the public Justice service", due to "the increase in the workload received as a consequence of the immigration crisis, especially matters related to alleged sexual assaults."

The data reflects the magnitude of the increase: between July 30 - the first day of mass arrival of migrants - and August 5, the Ceuta courts launched 96 preliminary proceedings for deaths and another 23 related to detained people. The flow remained constant the following days: between the 5th and the 11th, 72 new police reports were received with people arrested or summoned before the judge.

The report highlights the situation of the Court of Instance of Ceuta, which is assigned powers in matters of violence against women. In addition to the reinforcement that the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia must now process, it has also been agreed to extend the stay of the judge who was already providing support in matters of gender violence. The cessation of this reinforcement was close and both the judges of Ceuta and the affected person himself had requested its continuity, given the circumstances.

The Council recalls that the TSJ had already adopted effective measures, such as incorporating magistrates and officials from other bodies of the same class and population into the guard service. However, the Inspection report considers that "the prolongation of the migratory crisis situation requires the adoption of measures of greater duration and stability."

The requested reinforcement is not limited to the judiciary. The magistrates of Ceuta have conveyed a series of needs that the CGPJ has already communicated to the Ministry of Justice. The requests to speed up the processing include a lawyer from the Administration of Justice and four officials, as well as the incorporation of two interpreters, and an urgent expert appraisal service for the guard service.