Human Rights Watch accuses Belarus and Poland of committing serious human rights violations against migrants

NEW YORK — On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Belarus and Poland of committing “serious human rights violations” against migrants and asylum seekers at the border between the two countries.

Human Rights Watch stated that the governments of Poland and Belarus “are obligated to prevent new deaths by ensuring regular humanitarian access for people stranded at the borders.”

The organization’s researchers pointed out that they conducted in-depth interviews with 19 people whose testimonies revealed that some of them “were pushed, sometimes violently, by the Polish border guards.”

HRW stated that this response by the Polish border security forces “violates the right of asylum enshrined in European law” and urged the European Union to “begin showing solidarity with the victims at the borders on both sides, who are suffering and dying.” 

It went on to state that “violence and inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as pressure from Belarusian border guards” was also common, adding that such treatment could in some cases constitute acts of torture and violations of the international legal obligations of Belarus.

The report added that three people accused the Polish border guards of separating their families, including separating parents from their children, by taking individuals in need of health care to hospitals and returning their family members to Belarus.