Since 2021, there has been an ongoing migration crisis present on the Polish-Belarusian border. Belarusian authorities, with the president Aleksandr Lukashenko at the forefront, have been exerting their power and unwanted influence over Eastern Europe by transferring migrants illegally through the forest on the frontier of the countries. Together with Russia, they are trying to use those people as a demographic weapon by intentionally facilitating and directing the flow of migrants towards the European Union in order to disrupt the political stability of its member countries. Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have described the crisis as hybrid warfare waged by Belarus against the EU.
Directed by eastern authorities, the situation made Poland declare a state of emergency in Podlachia, Poland’s north-eastern region. Groups of migrants, usually coming from the Middle East and South Sudan, have tried to cross the border. Podlachia is most known for Europe’s last temperate primeval forest – Białowieża National Park. The total area of the park is over one hundred square kilometers, adjacent to the border with Belarus. It used to provide an ideal route for migrants to cross, especially since there were no checkpoints in place before the crisis. However, after many instances of migrants’ irregular entries, the Polish right-wing populist government decided to build a 180-kilometer-long wall made out of barbed wire in order to stop people from crossing. It is constantly guarded by border guards who not only protect the Polish frontier from illegal immigrants, but also tend to beat them, scare them with dogs, and rob them of their mobile phones or clothes.
Starving and hypothermic refugees are dying in the forests, and are transited by both Polish and Lithuanian soldiers back to Belarus. Polish non-governmental organizations are not allowed to help them, and medical and material support cannot be delivered. Grupa Granica [eng: “Group: Border”] is an activist group that opposes the authorities’ response to the crisis by actively helping migrants. They do not only cover the topic online on their Instagram but also provide them with legal and financial help.
Despite the centrist party winning the elections in 2023 as the opposition to the right-wing populist government, the situation on the border has not improved. Promises to stop the violation of human rights remain only promises. The previous government's narrative that migrants from the Middle East are dangerous is hindering the process of integration and fostering division within society. This perception not only affects public opinion but also impacts policy decisions, making it challenging for migrants to find acceptance in Polish society.
Recently, there has been a debate about the Migration Pact, introduced and voted in favour of by the European Union. It is a set of new rules that should help manage migration flows and establish a one common asylum system at EU level. In theory, it seems like a great new tool to make screenings and procedures run more smoothly. European Commission describes it as a “guarantee of people’s rights”.
The Migration Pact for 2025-2030 is supposed to “regain control and provide security”. However, Grupa Granica argues that the consequences of the announced actions will only deepen the ongoing chaos on the border. One of the articles of the Migration Pact states the suspension of the right to submit applications for international protection which is a direct violation not only of the Geneva Convention but also Polish Constitution. By agreeing to that pact, Donald Tusk, Polish prime minister, deprives hundreds of men and women of possible asylum, thereby violating the international principle of non-refoulement which forbids a country from deporting any person to any country in which their "life or freedom would be threatened".
With the war in Ukraine happening right behind Poland’s eastern border, Tusk has found a perfect excuse for the decision to introduce the Pact. He states that it will protect our country from Russia which uses migrants to destabilize the European Union. “The right to asylum is used by Lukashenko in a way that goes against the essence of the right to asylum”, he said.
The Migration Pact for 2025-2030 presents a controversial approach to managing border security. While the government frames it as a necessary measure to safeguard national interests against external threats, activist groups argue that it undermines fundamental human rights and international obligations. “Europe cannot take everyone in” is what we hear, looking away from the hundreds of thousands of people who are seeking refuge and are being forced to try to survive in the Białowieża Forest.
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