02:46Mandatory credit: UNTV
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged Belarus and Poland to address the ‘appalling situation’ at their border on Tuesday in Geneva, referring to the pushing back and forth of refugees without access food or shelter.
UNHCR spokesperson Elizabeth Throssel stated during a presser that between November 29 through December 3, “a UN Human Rights team visited Poland. We thank the Polish Government for its cooperation and ongoing dialogue, although our team was not granted access to the restricted border area. Belarus regrettably did not accept our request to visit.”
Throssel continued by saying that the team was able to speak to 31 migrants who had arrived in Poland through Belarus about the situation at the border.
“Those they interviewed described dire conditions on both sides of the border, with no or limited access to food, clean water and shelter, often amid freezing temperatures. The majority said that, while in Belarus, they had been beaten or threatened by security forces,” adding that the “Belarusian security forces had demanded extortionate sums for food and water.”
The spokesperson criticized Poland's policy of ‘systematically detaining’ people who entered the country illegally, “We remind Poland that detention should be an exceptional measure of last resort, and only be used for a limited period of time, if at all. Immigration detention of children is never in their best interests.”
In November, thousands of migrants set up tent camps on the Belarus-Poland border and attempted to cross the frontier. The EU has accused Lukashenko of orchestrating the migrant flow as part of a 'hybrid war' designed to pressure the bloc over sanctions. Minsk has denied the allegations.
Switzerland: Belarus, Poland should address ‘appalling’ refugee border situation – UN spox
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged Belarus and Poland to address the ‘appalling situation’ at their border on Tuesday in Geneva, referring to the pushing back and forth of refugees without access food or shelter.
UNHCR spokesperson Elizabeth Throssel stated during a presser that between November 29 through December 3, “a UN Human Rights team visited Poland. We thank the Polish Government for its cooperation and ongoing dialogue, although our team was not granted access to the restricted border area. Belarus regrettably did not accept our request to visit.”
Throssel continued by saying that the team was able to speak to 31 migrants who had arrived in Poland through Belarus about the situation at the border.
“Those they interviewed described dire conditions on both sides of the border, with no or limited access to food, clean water and shelter, often amid freezing temperatures. The majority said that, while in Belarus, they had been beaten or threatened by security forces,” adding that the “Belarusian security forces had demanded extortionate sums for food and water.”
The spokesperson criticized Poland's policy of ‘systematically detaining’ people who entered the country illegally, “We remind Poland that detention should be an exceptional measure of last resort, and only be used for a limited period of time, if at all. Immigration detention of children is never in their best interests.”
In November, thousands of migrants set up tent camps on the Belarus-Poland border and attempted to cross the frontier. The EU has accused Lukashenko of orchestrating the migrant flow as part of a 'hybrid war' designed to pressure the bloc over sanctions. Minsk has denied the allegations.
Mandatory credit: UNTV
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged Belarus and Poland to address the ‘appalling situation’ at their border on Tuesday in Geneva, referring to the pushing back and forth of refugees without access food or shelter.
UNHCR spokesperson Elizabeth Throssel stated during a presser that between November 29 through December 3, “a UN Human Rights team visited Poland. We thank the Polish Government for its cooperation and ongoing dialogue, although our team was not granted access to the restricted border area. Belarus regrettably did not accept our request to visit.”
Throssel continued by saying that the team was able to speak to 31 migrants who had arrived in Poland through Belarus about the situation at the border.
“Those they interviewed described dire conditions on both sides of the border, with no or limited access to food, clean water and shelter, often amid freezing temperatures. The majority said that, while in Belarus, they had been beaten or threatened by security forces,” adding that the “Belarusian security forces had demanded extortionate sums for food and water.”
The spokesperson criticized Poland's policy of ‘systematically detaining’ people who entered the country illegally, “We remind Poland that detention should be an exceptional measure of last resort, and only be used for a limited period of time, if at all. Immigration detention of children is never in their best interests.”
In November, thousands of migrants set up tent camps on the Belarus-Poland border and attempted to cross the frontier. The EU has accused Lukashenko of orchestrating the migrant flow as part of a 'hybrid war' designed to pressure the bloc over sanctions. Minsk has denied the allegations.