Hundreds of migrants, mostly from the Middle East and Asia (Afghanistan, in particular), are concentrated on that border.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, today asked to go beyond the political and security rhetoric that has prevailed around the migratory crisis that is taking place on the Polish-Belarusian border, and to ensure that the for the integrity of migrants and refugees who are surviving in the open at temperatures close to zero.
“I ask the states involved to take immediate measures to reduce tension and resolve this intolerable situation in accordance with their obligations under international and refugee law,” Bachelet said in a statement issued by his office in Geneva.
Hundreds of migrants from the Middle East and Asia (Afghanistan, in particular) are concentrated on that border and there have been several violent attempts to pass from the Belarusian side to Polish territory illegally, which have been stopped by the security forces.
Russia unhesitatingly supports Minsk in its confrontation with Poland and the European Union, a crisis in the midst of which the prolongation of the Russian military presence in Belarus for 25 more years has been announced.
Bachelet argued that the emphasis so far on political and security issues – including troop increases – and aggressive rhetoric from political leaders are only serving to increase vulnerability and risks for migrants and refugees.
“I ask the authorities involved to guarantee that the human rights of these individuals is the central concern,” said the high commissioner, who asked that humanitarian aid be allowed to transit to them, as well as observers from civil society and journalists.
Without mentioning Poland’s rejection of refugees at the border – most of whom say they only want to transit through Poland to go to other EU countries – Bachelet recalled that no one can be prevented from seeking asylum and other ways of international protection. (I)
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