Three months after the dispatch of an emergency team, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is forced to conclude its intervention in Poland due to the continuing refusal of the Polish authorities to grant access to the border area with Belarus , where groups of people survive in sub-zero temperatures, in dire need of medical-humanitarian assistance.
“Since October we have repeatedly asked for access to the area without success,” said Frauke Ossig, coordinator of the MSF emergency intervention in Poland and Lithuania. “We know that there are still people who need help hiding in the forest, but despite our commitment and will to assist them, we are unable to do it on the Polish front.”
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Since June 2021, thousands of people have tried to reach the EU from Belarus. In response, Poland built border fences, mobilized its army and declared a state of emergency along the border. Access to this area, which is strictly controlled, is limited, including for humanitarian organizations, voluntary associations and the media.
Over the past six months, Polish border police have repeatedly forcibly pushed back migrants and refugees in Belarus, thereby violating their right to seek international protection. Out of fear of push-backs and police violence, women, men and children have tried to make their way into the region by hiding in forests where in addition to the freezing temperatures, they have been left without food, water, shelter and clothing. At least 21 people lost their lives in this area in 2021.
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MSF operators have heard numerous direct testimonies of people who have suffered theft, damage, and have been intimidated or victims of intentional violence on both sides of the border. The MSF team saw physical injuries on the bodies of these people that coincide with reports of abuse. Although people are attacked and beaten by border police, the authorities still allow push-backs.
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