Poland declares state of emergency on border with Belarus | International

Poland declared a state of emergency on Thursday in two provinces bordering Belarus to curb irregular migratory flows which it attributes to the direct action of the government of Alexander Lukashenko. Lithuania and Latvia have also taken steps to strengthen their borders for the same reason. Border countries and the EU accuse the Minsk regime of orchestrating a wave of migration as a “hybrid weapon” in response to sanctions imposed by the bloc.

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday signed the declaration of state of emergency requested by the government for the provinces of Podlasie and Lublin. The measure, the first of this magnitude approved by the country since the Communist era, restricts the right of assembly and freedom of movement in 183 border municipalities for 30 days.

“The situation at the border is difficult and dangerous and Poland, as responsible for its own borders and also for the external borders of the European Union, has taken this decision to guarantee its security and that of the EU,” said said Blazej Spychalski, spokesperson. from Duda’s cabinet. The president “had to weigh two things: state security on the one hand and civil liberties on the other,” he responded to criticism. The decree must be brought before Parliament, which can revoke it.

Tense environment

Groups helping migrants and residents in the area told Reuters there had already been an increase in police presence in the area in recent days. “The atmosphere is generally violent, there are uniformed and armed men everywhere … It reminds me of the war,” Marta Anna Kurzyniec, a resident of the border town of Krynki, told the news agency.

Amnesty International warned against hot returns to the border and reminded Poland that “under international and European refugee law, it is obliged to ensure an individual assessment of all asylum claims” .

According to the latest report from the Polish authorities, in August there were around 3,500 attempts to enter the country, nearly 1,000 arrests and some 2,500 expulsions. Tensions between the EU and Lukashenko have been mounting since the 2020 rigged elections. Poland, the Baltic countries and the EU accuse him of using migrants as a “hybrid weapon”.

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