Poland: Tatar community buries young Syrian who died trying to cross the border
Audio 01:13
The funeral of Ahmad Al-Hasan, a young Syrian who died trying to cross a river on the Poland-Belarus border.
November 15, 2021 in the village of Bohoniki.
REUTERS - MARKO DJURICA
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The EU and the US are preparing to impose new sanctions against the Belarusian regime.
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel respectively met with Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko to try to resolve the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border.
In Poland, the Tatar community buried a young 19-year-old Syrian who drowned while trying to cross the border.
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From our special correspondent in Bohoniki
,
Damien Simonart
His name was Ahmad Al Hasan and was 19 years old.
His family, who remained in Syria, watch his funeral by videoconference.
In front of his coffin, a handful of faithful repeat the prayers of the Imam of Bohoniki, this small border town where the Tatars of Poland live.
►Also read: Migration crisis: Poland deploys thousands of soldiers on its border with Belarus
Among them is Kasim Shady, a Syrian who emigrated to Poland over 20 years ago.
“
Ahmad hoped to continue the studies he had started while being in a refugee center in Jordan.
He was looking for the same thing as any young man with dreams but he did not succeed,
”he says.
"
We must help these people
"
Fidaa Alhasan, a Muslim from Bialystok, is one of the few who came to pay a final tribute to the missing young man.
“
This boy who died has no family here.
He's alone, he's a stranger.
We feel that it is our duty to come and pray for him.
We understand that the Polish authorities and citizens are afraid, because what is happening is new to them, but we must help these people,
”he assures us.
Officially, eleven people have been killed since the start of the migration crisis, but this figure could drastically increase.
The Muslim community says it is ready to bury new victims in its cemetery.
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Poland
Belarus
International Migration