GENEVA

Following interviews with migrants and refugees in Poland fleeing Belarus after being forced to cross the border, the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday called on both countries to urgently address the "appalling situation."

Belarus has refused to allow officials of the UN Rights Office to visit the border area, office spokeswoman Liz Throssell told a press conference.

While Poland allowed one of its teams to visit the country from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, Throssell said it was not permitted to enter the restricted Polish border area where the human drama is unfolding. "Those interviewed describe dire conditions on both sides of the border," he said.

The majority claimed that while in Belarus they were beaten or threatened by security forces, who also forced them to cross the border, "instructing them when and where to cross."

The forces prevented people from crossing the border and returning to Minsk, the country's capital, she said.

Several interviewees alleged that Belarusian security forces demanded exorbitant amounts of money for food and water, she said.

"Our team also heard numerous reports of people being immediately and automatically returned to Belarus from Poland, including children and individuals who said they had requested international protection."

Asked about border deaths, Throssell cited an International Organization for Migration (IOM) figure of 21 deaths along the Belarus-EU border in 2021.

Given the desperate plight of migrants and refugees at the border, the UN Human Rights Office urged both countries to "urgently address this appalling situation."

International obligations

She emphasized Belarus and Poland's "obligations under international human rights and refugee law."

The rights office also called on Belarus to conduct thorough investigations into disturbing allegations of "coercion and ill-treatment" and to immediately put an end to such practices.

Throssell said recurring practices by Poland and Belarus of "pushing people up to, or across the border" meant that many migrants and refugees interviewed by the team had crossed the border multiple times, in both directions.

She said that under current Polish legislation, people who enter through unofficial border crossings can be immediately returned.

"We call on Poland to review this legislation and to instead conduct meaningful individual assessments to determine individual protection needs, consistent with the prohibitions in international law of refoulement and collective expulsions."

Throssell said the team that went to Poland heard about the challenging conditions for those who support refugees and other migrants, as well as journalists covering the situation. They reported "cases of harassment and intimidation," she added.

She said there is a focus on security, which is fueled by anti-migrant rhetoric and policies, and made by all sides that violate the human rights of refugees and migrants.

Since August, the European Union countries bordering Belarus – Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland – have reported a major increase in the number of irregular crossings.

In 2021, over 8,000 people tried to enter the EU through the Belarus-EU border, up from only 150 the previous year.

According to the EU, Belarus reaches out to potential travelers through seemingly official channels, including diplomatic missions and travel agencies, and invites them to Belarus by offering them visas.

In the last week, at least 2,000 people, including women and children, have been stuck in the Belarusian-Polish border area in dire conditions.