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August 25, 2021 "Poland must act immediately to protect the human rights of people stranded on the border with Belarus who find themselves in an alarming humanitarian situation". This is the request that comes from Dunja Mijatovic, commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, referring to the extremely difficult conditions of a group of Afghans blocked on the border between Poland and Belarus for two weeks, that the border guards of the two Countries do not let either side pass.
Mijatovic condemns the actions of Belarus - which encourages migrants, not only Afghans, to cross the border, thus creating a difficult situation for neighboring states to manage. However, it reiterates that the member countries of the Council of Europe have obligations to respect. So after writing to the Lithuanian government to respect the rights of those seeking refuge, today he is urging Warsaw.
"Poland cannot allow innocent and vulnerable people to be victims of Belarus' conduct," says Mijatovic.
"The response of a member state of the Council of Europe cannot be to reject these people, to deny them access to asylum procedures, or to keep them locked up in a humanitarian emergency situation", Mijatovic concludes.