MINSK, September 1. / TASS /. Minsk asked Warsaw to allow representatives of human rights and humanitarian organizations access to Afghan refugees who have been staying for two weeks at the border between Belarus and Poland.
“The Belarusian State Border Committee believes that the Polish side must take all necessary measures to resolve the situation, allow international human rights and humanitarian organizations to access refugees and examine the claims asylum seekers as provided for under European and international law, “the Committee said on Wednesday.
According to the Belarusian side, the current situation and the unfavorable weather conditions create a real threat to the life and health of Afghan refugees who were brought by Polish law enforcement officials to the border after their detention in Poland. “Despite the fact that these refugees remain on Polish territory, the Belarusian State Borders Committee showed goodwill and deemed it necessary to leave officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and of the Belarusian Red Cross Society This was done so that they could leave daily necessities for the Afghan refugees at the border, as the Polish side is blocking access to the camp for representatives of the defense organizations human rights and media, ”the committee said, adding that humanitarian assistance included food, clean water, personal hygiene products, protective clothing, rain gear and clothing. blankets.
According to the committee, UNHCR officials promised that such assistance would continue to be provided until the situation of the Afghan refugees was resolved.
According to the Polish Ministry of the Interior, more than 3,000 attempts to enter Poland illegally from Belarus have been recorded since the beginning of August. Last year there were 120 such attempts. The Polish Defense Ministry announced on Monday the start of work to erect a barbed wire fence 2.5 meters high on the Polish-Belarusian border. Some 2,000 troops have been deployed to protect the border.
A difficult situation is reported in the border section near the settlement of Usnarz Gorny, where some 300 migrants have been held for about two weeks. The Afghan refugees tried to cross the Polish border illegally but were stopped by border guards. Warsaw claims that the migrant remains on Belarusian territory and, therefore, the Belarusian side is responsible for his fate.
