Morocco had expressed strong indignation at these recurring "unacceptable" abuses, which "are disrespectful to human dignity, contrary to all ethical rules and indisputably racist".

    Morocco's foreign ministry said, in a statement on Saturday, two other cases of serious use of force and beating against Moroccan nationals took place on August 4 and on Saturday morning.

    In this regard, it reported that Ibrahim Abana was pursued by an agent of the Spanish police who slapped him in front of two police officers and three Moroccan citizens.

    As a Moroccan tried to intervene, three other Spanish policemen joined their colleague and started, all four, to beat the victim using their truncheons, the statement said, adding that they later lifted him off the ground and took him to their station where he was beaten again.

    The fifth victim, Mohamed Hamdaoui, who lives in the northeastern city of Nador, was once again assaulted on Saturday at the same crossing point by a Spanish policeman who hit him with his truncheon and trampled him underfoot, causing him an arm fracture and several bruises.

    The statement said the Moroccan government denounces in the strongest terms the continued use of violence against Moroccan nationals by the Melilia police.