Human Rights Advocates Accuse Poland of Brutality Against Migrants at Belarus Border

Human rights advocates have accused Poland of brutal treatment of migrants at its border with Belarus. Forced expulsions of migrants back to Belarus are accompanied by violence and cruelty from Polish border guards, often endangering refugees' lives with diseases, severe injuries, and even death.

This is documented in a new report by the international coalition of charitable and humanitarian organizations Oxfam and the Polish non-governmental organization Egala, as reported by BELTA.

According to the report, Polish border guards regularly force migrants to return to Belarus, often physically assaulting them, stripping them of their clothing, and abandoning them in forests without food, shelter, or medical assistance.

The report, titled "Brutal Barriers," details widespread instances of mistreatment of migrants at the border. Specifically, individuals are shot at with rubber bullets, attacked by dogs, and given water contaminated with pepper spray.

Activists from Egala provide testimony from a 22-year-old Syrian national who was forced to strip naked and left to freeze. Other accounts involve a pregnant woman who was bleeding and in need of medical care but was dragged back toward the border. The report notes that some pregnant women have suffered miscarriages after being denied assistance.

Despite ongoing allegations from human rights organizations of illegal forced expulsions of migrants, the European Commission allocated €52 million in December 2024 for "more effective protection" of Poland's eastern border.

When Donald Tusk became Prime Minister of Poland in 2023, human rights advocates hoped for a softening of migration policies; however, his administration has only intensified measures, reintroducing exclusion zones and approving a law that allows for the temporary suspension of asylum rights. Migration policy remains a key issue ahead of the presidential elections in Poland in May.

It is noted that Brussels is avoiding open confrontation with Tusk's government regarding forced expulsions. Meanwhile, Warsaw remains unyielding. In February, Tusk stated that Poland would not comply with the EU migration pact and would not accept migrants. He also indicated that Poland would not pay fines for refusing to take in migrants.

Human rights organizations warn that Warsaw's actions, along with the EU's reluctance to intervene, create a dangerous precedent. "The EU must stop funding this policy of forced expulsions and abandon future plans that gamble with people's lives. This is not just a policy issue; it’s a matter of doing what is right," said Sarah Redd, Oxfam's EU migration policy advisor.