Despite a border fence, heavily armed guards, and reports of rising violence in what is essentially an exclusion zone, the migration route through Belarus to Poland is a well-established one.
People who take this route to Europe are also dying more frequently, despite the fact that it might be thought of as safer than attempting to cross the Atlantic or the Mediterranean. Polish lawmakers have drafted a contentious law that would allow Poland to suspend the right to asylum in an effort to reduce migration.
The Plan: Cross Swamps and Forests at All Cost
Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, believes that his nation is in danger. Not only is Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine the source of this threat, but Belarus and Russia are also coordinating the migration of Belarusian citizens to Poland.
“We are dealing with a new form of migration where authoritarian regimes are organizing human smuggling on a large scale,” Tusk stated during his October speech in Brussels.
The situation started in 2021 when the number of attempted border crossings along the Polish-Belarusian border, which is 418 kilometers (260 miles), abruptly increased.
Travelers with tourist visas from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa were frequently led directly to the Polish border by Belarusian troops.
Many migrants still try to enter the EU through this route, despite Warsaw’s recent reinforcement of the border with barbed-wire fences.
Poland topped the list of nations that denied EU membership to citizens of third countries in 2022. The most popular practice at the Polish-Belarusian border was pushback, which involved sending migrants and refugees back across the border right away without taking into account their unique situation. This prevented them from appealing their expulsion or applying for asylum.
Through the Bialowieza Forest, the last primeval forest in Europe, migrants and refugees, primarily from the Middle East and Africa, are attempting to cross this border in numbers that the authorities have not made public. This nature reserve, which some migrants refer to as “The Jungle,” is extremely challenging to traverse and, for those stranded there, to survive in, especially for those who are not used to the climate of northeastern Europe. Many end up stuck in the forest for a very long time, forced to hide from the border guards.
In addition to calling volunteers “idiots and traitors,” the Polish government has made it illegal to provide humanitarian aid to refugees at this border.
Suspension of Asylum Rights Might be a Signature Away
Because of the dire situation on the border, the Polish government submitted a bill that would allow the country’s decision-makers to suspend the right to asylum. The bill was later approved by both the Senate and parliament.
The bill , most likely turning into law in the coming weeks, would permit the extension of the restriction. Additionally, the government would have to identify the precise border segment where the restriction would be in effect.
The draft law amending the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners in Poland raised questions about its compliance with human rights standards, so Council of Europe Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty had previously asked the Senate to hold off on adopting it in a letter to the Marshal of the Polish Senate.
“The proposed amendments restricting access to asylum procedures raise serious questions about their compatibility with Council of Europe human rights standards, especially those enshrined in Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This article encompasses a prohibition on removing any person to a country where they would be at real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (non-refoulement)” wrote the Commissioner.
The bill, according to Human Rights Watch, “flies in the face of Poland’s international and EU obligations,” and the Polish parliament should reject it.
Plans to suspend the right to apply for asylum were deemed “flagrantly unlawful” by Amnesty International.
In the 100-seat chamber, it was supported by 72 senators and now needs the president’s signature to become law.
