Amnesty’s recent report on the situation at the Polish-Belarussian border makes stark reading. Refugees and migrants attempting to cross into Poland from Belarus face repeated violent pushbacks by the Polish Border Guards. Hundreds have been arbitrarily detained in Poland in appalling conditions and without access to a fair asylum proceeding and protection.
Many have been forcibly returned to their countries of origin, some under sedation, without a fair process. These practices are in violation of international law and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returns to places where individuals would face a real risk of serious human rights violations.
The Amnesty report rightly contrasts the rapid relief effort at the border, the exceptional generosity of the general public and the willingness of Polish authorities to receive people fleeing from Ukraine with the blatant hostility toward refugees and migrants who have arrived in the country via Belarus since July 2021. The report contains recommendations for the governments of both Poland and Belarus. You can read it at rb.gy/ajztcf