Latest news with #Polish-Belarusian
DW
05-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Fleeing, injured, and forgotten in Poland's border forest – DW – 07/05/2025
For four years now, Poland has taken drastic measures to stop refugees from entering the EU across its border with Belarus. The humanitarian consequences are dire. DW spent a day with the activists who try to help them. Aleksandra Chrzanowska stops for a moment, checks her location on her cell phone, then marches straight into the forest, following no signpost or path. She walks confidently, despite the marshy, uneven ground. The Bialowieza National Park is Europe's last remaining primeval forest. Since 2021, Chrzanowska, a member of the Warsaw-based human rights organization Association for Legal Intervention, has spent almost every day in the forest on the Polish-Belarusian border. That was when Belarus started to encourage people from third countries to cross into Poland, as a way of exerting pressure on the EU. Poland responded by erecting a border fence and sending people back to Belarus. Since then, the situation at the border has deteriorated into a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Chrzanowska points to a map on her phone. It is dotted with colored markers. Each represents an "intervention," as the activists from the network Grupa Granica call their humanitarian activities in the forest along the border with Belarus. Usually, this means bringing hot soup, water, clothes, shoes, and power banks for the refugees. In many instances, they also provide medical assistance, and they get support from a doctor if the case is serious. Since the five-meter-high border fence was erected along the border with Belarus, there has been a sharp increase in injuries like broken bones, and deep cuts from barbed wire. "The fence doesn't stop people," Chrzanowska says. "They have no choice. Their lives are in danger in their homelands." Last year, Grupa Granica received around 5,600 emergency calls. They were able to intervene in response to about 1,400, helping some 3,400 people. The stranded migrants came from countries like Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, and Afghanistan. The same year, the Polish border police recorded around 30,000 attempts to cross the border illegally. That number continues to increase: Frontex reported that in 2024 the number of people taking the so-called eastern migration route through Belarus went up by around 200%. Today, Aleksandra Chrzanowska is on her way to a designated spot to collect items left behind after an earlier intervention. Grupa Granica can sometimes reuse them, but the important thing is that they don't want any litter left in this unique nature reserve. Chrzanowska dons disposable gloves, picks up a thermos, a torn jacket, and a child's shoe, and puts them in a rubbish bag. Her phone rings. The base camp is calling. Reception is poor: Chrzanowska curses, but she's got the gist. Two Afghan men have just sent a text to the international emergency number, asking for help. "We have to hurry," she says. Suddenly she's like a different person. She grabs the rubbish bag, and as we stride toward the base camp, she listens to voice messages giving details of the upcoming intervention. One of the men has deep cuts, the messages say. The Afghan refugees have also asked for dry clothes and shoes, as they're soaked to the skin. They've sent a photo of the wound, which will be forwarded to a doctor for consultation. Meanwhile, at the base camp, other volunteers are packing the things the men need into big rucksacks. A short time later, Chrzanowska and another activist set off along a path, before plunging off into the depths of the forest, for reasons of security. They meet up with the refugees at the marked location they sent them earlier. Chrzanowska reports that the men were well hidden; it took them a while to find them. The men, in their mid-20s, speak no English. The activists use translation apps on their phones, typing in questions that the app translates into Pashtu. How long have they been in the forest? The men type in: a few weeks, three days on the Polish side. It's their third attempt; they've been pushed back twice before. This means that the Polish border guards have already caught them twice, and sent them back to Belarus, even though the men are seeking asylum. On March 27 this year, Poland suspended the right to apply for asylum at the Belarusian border. The men haven't eaten or drunk anything for several days. They gratefully accept the chickpea soup, sweet tea, and drinking water the activists have brought them. While they fortify themselves, Chrzanowska exchanges text messages with the doctor. The wound on the man's foot is deeper than it looked on the photo. The doctor sends Chrzanowska instructions for cleaning and treating the cut. The man types into the phone that he got the injury jumping from the border fence. The migrants were accompanied to the border by armed Belarusian soldiers, who were very aggressive, and hit them, he writes. The soldiers propped a ladder against the five-meter-high steel barrier, and forced the Afghans to jump down on the other side. "Normally, we would call an ambulance, to get the wound properly treated," says Chrzanowska. But since the suspension of asylum procedures, this is too risky, because "then border guards come as well. And that means there's a very high risk that the refugees will be sent back to Belarus again, regardless of the injury." The intervention lasts about half an hour. Chrzanowska tries to clean the wound as best she can. When she gets back from the intervention, she reports that the man was lying on the forest floor, very weak and in a lot of pain. "I was worried that he might not even be able to walk anymore," she says. Once he had eaten and drunk something, though, he soon stabilized. For Aleksandra Chrzanowska, this moment is always very moving. "At first, the refugees are very frightened. Once they're in dry clothes, and have had some hot tea or soup, you see them become human again." Some then even insist on sharing the food with her. The Grupa Granica network consists of several local NGOs and aid initiatives, and is supported by hundreds of volunteers, along with a small number of full-time helpers. Other than Doctors Without Borders, no international NGOs are active at the border between Poland and Belarus — unlike at other external EU borders. The Polish government disapproves of the work the activists are doing, and criminalizes the provision of support to migrants. Right now, five activists are on trial in the eastern Polish town of Hajnowka for helping an Iraqi Kurdish family with seven children who were hiding in the forest. They sare accused of "facilitating the stay" of illegal immigrants for "personal benefit." Aleksandra Chrzanowska is not intimidated. "Helping people is legal," she says curtly. Just a few hours later, they receive another emergency call. A group of four Afghans is asking for help. One reports that he has broken his leg jumping from the border fence. This time, a doctor will go with them.
Straits Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Poland to start controls on borders with Germany, Lithuania over migration
FILE PHOTO: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks next to European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they attend a press conference, on the day of the European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Border guards officers are seen near the fence on the Polish-Belarusian frontier during a crisis over migrant crossings, in Opaka Duza, Poland, October 3, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Poland to start controls on borders with Germany, Lithuania over migration WARSAW - Poland will introduce temporary controls along borders with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, echoing several other European Union countries in reimposing frontier checks to stem illegal migration. Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany itself have also brought back border controls, underlining a public backlash against undocumented migration that has strained the EU's Schengen passport-free travel zone. "We consider the temporary reintroduction of controls necessary to reduce the uncontrolled flows of migrants across the Polish-German border to a minimum," Tusk told a meeting of his cabinet. Tusk's liberal government has been accused by nationalist and far-right opposition parties of accepting numerous illegal migrants being sent back from Germany. The government had argued that the numbers were limited. Debate over migration in Poland has turned increasingly heated in recent weeks, with far-right activists starting to organise patrols along the border with Germany. Germany said in February that it was extending its own temporary border controls for six months. Tusk, who has previously called on Berlin to do more to help its neighbours protect the EU's external border, criticised Germany's approach to migrants at its own frontier, saying it placed excessive pressure on Poland. "Poland's patient position after Germany formally introduced unilateral border controls is wearing out," Tusk said. He added that it had become difficult to determine whether migrants being sent from Germany to Poland should really be returned there under EU rules stating that migrants should apply for asylum in the first member state they enter. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday Germany wants to preserve the Schengen system, which allows passport-free movement, but this could only work if it was not abused by criminals who smuggle migrants. "We know that the Polish government also wants to impose border controls with Lithuania in order to limit illegal border crossings from Lithuania to Poland," Merz told a news conference. "So, we have a common problem here that we want to solve together." Knut Abraham, the German government's commissioner for Poland, was critical of the tilt towards border restrictions. "The solution cannot lie in pushing migrants back and forth between Poland and Germany or in cementing border controls on both sides," he was quoted by Die Welt newspaper as saying. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told a news conference that the Polish government had informed him about its decision, BNS news agency reported. "(We need to see) what measures should be most effective, while maintaining the expectation that they will not violate our common interest in having free movement of persons, and will also contribute to our goal of firmly and solidly protecting the external border of the EU and NATO," BNS quoted him as saying. Poland has been facing what it says is a migrant crisis orchestrated by Belarus and Russia on its eastern border since 2021. Both countries deny encouraging migrants to cross. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Journal
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Belarus opposition leader Tikhanovsky freed from jail
A TOP BELARUS opposition leader, Sergei Tikhanovsky, has been released from jail after being pardoned, Belarusian human rights group Viasna said today. His wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took over the opposition cause after his jailing, shared a video of him smiling and embracing her after his release with the caption: 'FREE'. She also said US officials played a role in brokering his release. My husband Siarhei is free! It's hard to describe the joy in my heart. Thank you, 🇺🇸 @POTUS , @SPE_Kellogg , @JohnPCoale , DAS Christopher W. Smith, @StateDept & our 🇪🇺 allies, for all your efforts. We're not done. 1150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released. — Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) June 21, 2025 'It's hard to describe the joy in my heart,' she said in a post on X, thanking US President Donald Trump, US envoy Keith Kellogg and European allies. Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years. Tikhanovsky planned to run against incumbent Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. Advertisement His wife Svetlana – a political novice at the time of his arrest – took his place in the polls. He was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for 'organising riots' and 'inciting hatred' and then to 18 months extra for 'insubordination'. Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all opposition movements and is the only European country to retain the death penalty as a punishment. There are more than 1,000 political prisoners in the country, according to Viasna. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski hailed Tikhanovsky's release from jail and thanked the United States for its role in securing his freedom. 'The free world needs you,' Sikorski wrote on X, addressing Tikhanovsky, before adding a message for his wife: 'My sincerest joy goes out to you Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and your entire family. Seeing you together again shows why years of struggle for freedom matter.' 'We will continue to strive to free the rest, including (Polish-Belarusian reporter Andrzej) Poczobut,' Sikorski said, before thanking US envoy Keith Kellogg for securing the 'release of 14 political prisoners in Belarus'.
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
The missing lynx: how the rise of border walls has split up wildlife populations
The lynxes of the Białowieża forest once freely prowled through 1,420 sq km (548 sq miles) of ancient woodland. Then, in 2022, the habitat was abruptly sliced in two. Poland built a 115-mile (186km) wall across its border with Belarus to stop refugees and migrants entering the EU. About 15 lynxes were left stranded on the Polish side of the forest, forced into a genetic bottleneck. The 5.5-metre high barrier, which is topped with wire and cameras, also dissects the forest's population of bison, wolves and elk. Researchers monitored 10 sites along the border, walking along sections and counting signs of humans and wildlife. 'I could not have foreseen the diversity of impacts that we ended up finding,' says the lead author of the paper, Katarzyna Nowak, from the Polish Academy of Sciences' Mammal Research Institute. Humans have been building walls for thousands of years, but the speed and scale with which they are now being constructed has ballooned over recent decades. With refugee crises in Europe and Asia, and the rise of governments cracking down on immigration, the planet is increasingly crisscrossed with steel barriers, chain-link fencing and razor wire – with significant consequences for wildlife. There are now an estimated 74 border walls globally, up from just six in 1989, with more in the pipeline. 'The hardening of international borders through fortification and militarisation is on the rise,' researchers say in the paper on the impacts of the Polish-Belarusian border wall. In a separate paper published in February, another researcher argues for 'ecological peace corridors' to protect wildlife movement amid growing human conflict. At the same time that borders are strengthened, the need for humans and other animals to migrate is being supercharged by climate breakdown. 'It is a worrying future in multiple respects,' says Dr Stuart Butchart, chief scientist at BirdLife International. 'This is a worldwide phenomenon that is going to become of increasing importance.' His research found that border walls obstruct the ranges of more than 700 species of mammals, including leopards, tigers, cheetah and the critically endangered Saiga antelope. The study identified 20,000 miles of borders fortified with fences and walls, which can cause habitats to fragment and create injuries from entanglement, genetic bottlenecks and blocked migration routes. The US-Mexican border wall – which was found to have the most impact of those studied – bisects the ranges of 120 mammals alone. Pygmy owls, which stay close to the ground for safety, do not fly high enough to cross the wall, and populations of pumas and coatis – a raccoon-like animal found across Latin America – have fallen. Bighorn sheep risk becoming 'zombie species' as the populations become too genetically fragmented and unable to move sufficiently to adapt to climate change. The study of the Polish-Belarusian border showed animals were keeping their distance from the wall because they were scared of it. Despite the fact that it passed through a rich forest habitat, Nowak says: 'We had very few signs of animals along the border.' Thirty-six cameras were up for more than a year and images of lynxes were only found on them twice. Humans were more frequently seen on cameras than wildlife, especially at border sites. Sound recordings revealed human sounds – such as vehicles, music, dogs and gunshots – penetrated up to 250 metres into the forest, which is a Unesco world heritage site. Rubbish lined the border, drawing dogs, cats and other scavengers to the area. 'This again creates an unnatural interface, not just between people and wild animals, but also domestic animals,' says Nowak. Plant surveys suggested invasive species might be able to survive in the 'sun-streaked strip in the middle of the forest', says Nowak, who is worried that the forest could start to split into two. Borderland regions such as Białowieża Forest can also be among the continent's most biodiverse places. The border fence between Slovenia and Croatia has sliced up the Dinaric mountain range, home to some of the most important brown bear and wolf populations in Europe. The region's lynx population is threatened with high levels of inbreeding, with researchers warning that the fence 'may just be the last push for the population to spiral down the extinction vortex'. The 3,000-mile border between China and Mongolia, which is almost entirely fenced, has blocked the migrations of Asiatic wild ass. Even if these fences are removed in the future, migratory routes are not easily re-routed. Red deer on the border between the Czech Republic and the former West Germany still do not cross what was the 'iron curtain' – even though the electric fence that divided the countries was taken down 25 years ago, a study found. The life expectancy of a deer is 15 years, so no deer alive at the time of the study would have ever encountered the barrier. A 2025 review of the impacts of border walls had four key recommendations to make them less damaging: leave gaps in the fencing; cut down on light and noise; avoid the concertina razor-wire tops, which many animals die on; and increase cooperation between countries on the borders. To ease the pressure on wildlife, scientists are pushing for small gaps in fencing to allow species through. The US-Mexican border wall covers more than 700 miles of the almost 2,000-mile long frontier, and crosses the Madrean Sky Islands – patches of woodland that are home to the greatest diversity of mammals, reptiles and ants in the US. A study looked at the 13 small passages for wildlife along 80 miles of continuous border – or roughly one every 10km – each about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Researchers collected and analysed more than 12,000 videos of animals encountering them. Deer, bears, wolves and pronghorn sheep were all blocked by the wall, but cameras showed coyotes, wild pig-like peccaries, American badgers and even some smaller mountain lions were squeezing through. 'We were surprised by how busy the A4 holes ended up being,' says Eamon Harrity, wildlife programme manager at Sky Islands Alliance in Arizona and lead author of the study of the wall along the US-Mexico border. 'We want more of them,' says Harrity. 'They need to be, at a minimum, every half a kilometre.' Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
Euronews
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Two bodies believed to be migrants retrieved from river on Poland-Belarus border
ADVERTISEMENT Two bodies have been retrieved by authorities from the Bug River on Poland's border with Belarus. They are believed to be migrant men who had attempted to cross the border into Poland. Investigators are conducting an autopsy to determine the identities and cause of death of the bodies, which were significantly decomposed when they were found, according to Katarzyna Gągolińska of the Biała Podlaska police. The Polish Border Guard says that almost 300 attempts have been made to cross the Polish-Belarusian border in the Lublin province since the start of this year. Dariusz Sienicki, captain of the Bug River Border Guard Unit, says there is an upward trend compared with a year earlier. In 2024, approximately 530 reportedly tried to cross the border illegally, the Border Guard said. In the last 24 hours, the Border Guard rescued 13 people from the Bug River in another town in Lublin province. They were citizens of Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan, Sienicki said. Polish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Maciej Duszczyk alleged that the bodies "were people who were pushed into the water by the Belarusian services" in mid-March. He claimed that this is a tactic used as provocation by Belarus. Members of a group of some 30 migrants seeking asylum in Bialowieza, Poland, on Sunday, 28 May 2023. AP Photo/Agnieszka Sadowska Warsaw has accused its neighbour Belarus of luring asylum seekers from countries in Africa and the Middle East and pushing them towards the Polish border to sow chaos and destabilise Poland. Authorities say it is a retaliation from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for EU-imposed sanctions. They say he gives orders in cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to punish the EU over its support for Ukraine. At the end of March, Poland temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum. That legislation was widely criticised by human rights groups , which fear it may worsen a current humanitarian crisis. The border area is notorious for its dangerous terrain and harsh conditions, including exposure to freezing winter temperatures and inadequate access to food, shelter and aid. Paired with physical barriers imposed by the Polish government, the forest has become a trap for people travelling to the border, often resulting in a significant number of injuries, disappearances and fatalities.
