Belarus, Poland block UN access to border in migrant crisis but probe shows ‘dire conditions’
- UN team went to Poland from November 29 to December 3; had no access to restricted border area but interviewed 31 people who crossed in
- Most of those were ‘beaten or threatened by Belarusian security forces’; UN wants access and both nations to end practices putting migrants at risk
The UN said Tuesday that its investigators had not been granted access to the Belarus-Polish border but their probe had uncovered “dire conditions” for migrants camped there.
A UN rights office team had travelled to Poland from November 29 to December 3, but “was not granted access to the restricted border area,” said spokeswoman Liz Throssell.
And “Belarus regrettably did not accept our request to visit,” she said.
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Water cannon and tear gas fired at migrants along Belarus-Poland border
“We urge the authorities of both countries to allow access to the border areas ... and to stop practices that put refugees and other migrants at risk.”
Thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have camped in Belarus for weeks, often in bitter conditions, hoping to cross the Polish border and enter the European Union.
A number of people are reported to have died in the harsh conditions.
Western countries accuse Belarus of having engineered the migrant influx to pressure the bloc, which has imposed sanctions over the regime’s crackdown on the opposition and independent media.
