Poland should end summary and collective expulsions of migrants to Belarus, since it shares equal responsibility for the situation at the border with Minsk, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2021) Poland should end summary and collective expulsions of migrants to Belarus, since it shares equal responsibility for the situation at the border with Minsk, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.
"Polish authorities should immediately halt all summary returns and collective expulsions to Belarus and stop all abuse by Polish officials of migrants," HRW said in a report.
The organization also called on Poland to investigate cases of violence and theft, lift the state of emergency in the country and allow access to the restricted border area for humanitarian organizations, as well as provide migrants with the opportunity to apply for asylum.
In addition, HRW urged Belarus to prosecute border guards violating migrants' rights.
Human rights activists also called on the European Union to pressure Warsaw to facilitate the access of humanitarian organizations to restricted border areas. Moreover, the EU must consider the possibility of settling migrants in other EU countries for a while.
�In the last several weeks, several thousand migrants camped on the Polish-Belarusian border in the hope of forcing their way into the EU territory. The Polish authorities strengthened border security and thwarted attempts by illegal migrants to enter the country, using teargas and barbed wire.
Warsaw blames Minsk for the current migration crisis. Belarus rejects all allegations, claiming that Poland forcibly expels migrants to its territory and artificially inflames the situation with refugees on the border.
