That Saturday, Helena Maleno (El Ejido, 1970) just wanted to get home and rest. Aware that the wind was stronger in Tanger, where she had been living for 15 years, she pictured herself on the sofa, resting with her daughter after a long work trip. However, that image vanished at the airport.  

On the 23rd of January 2021, at her arrival to Morocco, she was deported.She was forced into a plane with unknown destiny, without the possibility to make a call, and with no access to water or medicines. Taking her to Barcelona was just another violation as a migrant and human rights defender. It caused her exile, and an even more terrible thing: the separation from her underage daughter for 32 days.

Since March 2020, the defender has compiled at least 34 attacks against her,including intimidation, police alerts, and searches and seizures. Just for defending the right to life of the migrants who, due to the lack of safe and legal passages, have to cross in a dinghy the world’s largest cemetery: the Mediterranean Sea.

Maleno facing life imprisonment

In November 2017, Morocco initiated the process against the defender on the grounds of “immigrant trafficking and aiding and abetting illegal immigration.” Shortly after, Maleno found out that the origin of the investigation were the four reports that the Spanish border police (UCRIF) and the European border agency Frontex sent to the Moroccan authorities compelling them to open an investigation against her.Her prosecution in Morocco for alerting the rescue services because there were people in danger of death in the sea, was just the tip of the iceberg.
 

The Spanish police, who started to investigate her activities in 2012, sent the documents to the National Court to start legal action against her. No evidence proved that she was commiting a crime that is in fact diametrically opposed to her work in the defence of the right to life, so the case was closed. As a matter of fact, Walking Borders had already lodged complaints against human trafficking, and against the EU member states and their “necropolicies”.

Nevertheless, Maleno was still prosecuted in Spain, and after the closure of the case, the documents travelled to Morocco, where the accusation could have led to life imprisonment.

“Spain has never taken to the dock any human rights defender”, said the socialist member of the European Parliament López Aguilar from his office in Strasbourg (France). “In my case, to prosecute a defender, there was a collaboration between Europe and a third country, Morocco.”, Maleno replied, condemning “the externalisation in the prosecution of defenders.”

That Saturday, Helena Maleno (El Ejido, 1970) just wanted to get home and rest. Aware that the wind was stronger in Tanger, where she had been living for 15 years, she pictured herself on the sofa, resting with her daughter after a long work trip. However, that image vanished at the airport.  

On the 23rd of January 2021, at her arrival to Morocco, she was deported.She was forced into a plane with unknown destiny, without the possibility to make a call, and with no access to water or medicines. Taking her to Barcelona was just another violation as a migrant and human rights defender. It caused her exile, and an even more terrible thing: the separation from her underage daughter for 32 days.

Since March 2020, the defender has compiled at least 34 attacks against her,including intimidation, police alerts, and searches and seizures. Just for defending the right to life of the migrants who, due to the lack of safe and legal passages, have to cross in a dinghy the world’s largest cemetery: the Mediterranean Sea.

Support campaign, how to revert the toxic environment

On the 6th of February 2014, the name of Helena Maleno started to resonate in the minds of the Spanish population. The organisation she founded, Working Borders openly condemned the conduct of the Spanish and Moroccan security forces in what is known as “the massacre of El Tarajal” They collected the testimonies of the people who jumped into the water when trying to reach Ceuta (Spain) in their migration route.Many of them didn’t know how to swim. 

According to the investigation report, there were at least 14 casualties and numerous injuries, as well as several push-backs to Morocco in the breakwater of Ceuta that day. The public condemnation from this organisation for the defence of migrant rights had a great impact.

Concerned about her lack of self-protection, several UN Special Rapporteurs sent letters to the Spanish and Moroccan governments asking for her situation, which were replied shortly after. In the letter sent by the international representatives to Spain, they not only expressed their concern about the case but also the importance of clarifying the facts.

As an example, in less than 36 hours 56 thousand letters were sent to the Spanish Ministry of Domestic and Foreign Affairs demanding the closure of the legal case in Morocco. Also, in response to the first massive attack that the defender suffered, the hashtag #DefenderAQuienDefiende made the importance of supporting human rights defenders viral. Years after, with her prosecution, the hashtag #DefendiendoAMaleno also got viral, subscribed by more than 500 organisations and spread online by an enormous amount of people.

Maleno facing life imprisonment

In November 2017, Morocco initiated the process against the defender on the grounds of “immigrant trafficking and aiding and abetting illegal immigration.” Shortly after, Maleno found out that the origin of the investigation were the four reports that the Spanish border police (UCRIF) and the European border agency Frontex sent to the Moroccan authorities compelling them to open an investigation against her.Her prosecution in Morocco for alerting the rescue services because there were people in danger of death in the sea, was just the tip of the iceberg.
 

The Spanish police, who started to investigate her activities in 2012, sent the documents to the National Court to start legal action against her. No evidence proved that she was commiting a crime that is in fact diametrically opposed to her work in the defence of the right to life, so the case was closed. As a matter of fact, Walking Borders had already lodged complaints against human trafficking, and against the EU member states and their “necropolicies”.

Nevertheless, Maleno was still prosecuted in Spain, and after the closure of the case, the documents travelled to Morocco, where the accusation could have led to life imprisonment.

“Spain has never taken to the dock any human rights defender”, said the socialist member of the European Parliament López Aguilar from his office in Strasbourg (France). “In my case, to prosecute a defender, there was a collaboration between Europe and a third country, Morocco.”, Maleno replied, condemning “the externalisation in the prosecution of defenders.”

Misoginia y lesbofobia

Los dosieres de la UCRIF indagaban en la vida privada de la defensora: con quién se acostaba, quiénes eran sus amigos, dónde se movía eran solo algunas de las informaciones a las que Helena Maleno tuvo acceso solo durante la vista judicial y visibilizó en su libro publicado en 2020 Mujer de Frontera. Defender el derecho a la vida no es un delito.

En ellos, el componente de género era muy fuerte, condenando no solo sus relaciones sexo-afectivas, sino relacionándolas con comportamientos que tenían que ver directamente con sus funciones como defensora de las personas migrantes.

Según las denuncias de organizaciones de derechos humanos como la OMTC, “la policía española solicitaba a Marruecos en los expedientes enviados al país, que aplicase contra Helena Maleno la pena máxima, es decir, cadena perpetua según la normativa marroquí”.

El 11 de marzo de 2019 el Tribunal de Tánger archivó la causa, reconociendo la labor legítima de defensa de los derechos humanos que llevaba a cabo Helena Maleno. Casi dos años después, la persecución policial continúa, materializándose en enero de 2021 con una deportación violenta, denunciada por diversas organizaciones y con una carta al Presidente el Gobierno de España exigiendo #JusticiaParaHelenaMaleno, suscrita por 700 organizaciones.

Vivir en el exilio es difícil para esta defensora. “Al principio fue horrible porque temíamos por mi hija, que aún estaba en Marruecos y que tuvo que salir del país acompañada de una amiga y con la asistencia de la Embajada de España en Marruecos”, recuerda Maleno. 

Los 32 días que estuvo alejada de la menor fueron una de las experiencias más traumáticas de su vida. Conscientes de que su hija de 15 años estaba sufriendo seguimientos policiales en Marruecos, la defensora no esconde que “teníamos miedo a que sufriera alguna situación de violencia por parte de Marruecos. Finalmente pudimos sacarla con acompañamiento consultar, sus dos animales y una maletita pequeña, pensando siempre que iba a volver a su casa”.

De Helena a Samantha

“En esa persecución sistemática está la deriva europea de la persecución de la solidaridad, del apoyo mutuo, de la resistencia…”, reconoce la defensora, que recalca cómo judicializar a las personas defensoras es solo una estrategia más para criminalizar las migraciones y el refugio: “Hay que entender que las primeras defensoras de los derechos de las personas migrantes son los propios migrantes”, concluye.

Antes de la entrevista, nos reunimos con Helena Maleno y con otra integrante de Caminando Fronteras en la sede de varias organizaciones en el centro de la ciudad donde ahora reside. Tras compartir diferente información, llama por teléfono. Del otro lado de la línea responde en francés un hombre.

Tras una presentación escueta, Helena confirma quién es la persona que se encuentra desaparecida en la patera. “¿Sois vosotros los que estáis buscando la embarcación?”, pregunta, sujetándose la cabeza con la mano derecha. “¿Vuestra… vuestra hija?”, atina a decir mientras su interlocutor continúa el relato. “Samatha. ¿Es Samatha la que está en la embarcación?” Poco después, el familiar revela que Samatha viajaba con su bebé. Y, tras la confirmación, las peores noticias:

“Los servicios de rescate españoles y marroquíes han sido informados sobre esta embarcación y la están buscando”, describe mientras hace un ligero gesto de negación con la cabeza: “por el momento está desaparecida”. 

La vida de Samantha y su bebe, así como la de las más de 4000 personas desaparecidas en la Frontera Sur española se funden con varias palabras de aliento en una conversación telefónica que termina con un silencio atronador.