UN criticised Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish policy in relation to migrants

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland continue to use questionable methods to prevent migrants from entering the European Union and deny access to groups that want to help people trapped in the border area – as stated by high-ranking representatives of the UN Refugee Agency and the European Union, BelTA reports

In 2020, about 8,000 asylum-seekers – mostly from Iraq – moved to Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Thousands more got stranded at the Belarusian border as the weather turned cold, and some died.

"Even in this dangerous and difficult situation that these three EU states are in, they have to have legislation where pushbacks are not accepted and not legalised,” Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said, according to Independent. She noted that refusals are considered illegal in line with international treaties on refugees and EU legislation.

Ms. Johansson did not say why the EU commission – which proposes and monitors the bloc's laws – fails to take action against countries for these violations.

Lithuania and Poland decreed a state of emergency on their borders with Belarus and changed their asylum laws to make it harder for migrants – who enter their territories – to stay. Poland also used new laws to make its border zone closed to those who do not live, work or study there.

"Detentions and other human rights violations continue at the EU borders with Belarus," Sophie Magennis, the Head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Policy and Legal Unit for EU Affairs, said, adding that the UNHCR and other aid groups are still unable to get to areas on the European side of the border with Belarus to help people there. The Polish border statistics show that more than 3,000 people were denied access to the border zone with Belarus. NGO employees and journalists who tried to enter in recent days were detained, had their phones taken and were kicked out of the territory.

"In recent days, several ministers from these particular countries have mentioned that they intend to continue the current practices of denial," she said, stressing that changes in the asylum system do not comply with international refugee law.

Last week, the Doctors Without Borders international humanitarian group said that its teams assigned to Poland’s border with Belarus left the country after they were repeatedly denied access to refugees. The organisation said it spent three months seeking permission for its employees to enter the forested border zone where hundreds of people are stranded in winter weather.