Bloody Boundary

By Szymon Kowalczyk

Syrians, Egyptians, Libyans, Nigerians, Afghans, Pakistanis… The migrants and refugees’ flow from the Middle East and Africa, seeking to reach the European Union and the UK, continues to increase. In 2023, about 1.3 million migrants were registered on the continent – this is the highest figure over the last 7 years. “Guests” mainly go to Europe from the South by sea – through Italy, Spain and Greece. But this way is quite dangerous; not everyone manages to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

But the overland “Belarusian corridor”, the route through Poland and the Baltic countries, has been considered less risky… up until recently. To say that Poland has shamelessly violated all international conventions on migration issues since 2021 is to say nothing. In an attempt to resist the human flow, the Polish Republic has been using all the possible methods, including illegal ones: beatings, violence, tortures, robbing victims’ money and property confiscation, etc.

There have been deaths. The dead bodies calculation numbers in hundreds. At proper time, Polish human rights defenders and activists have recorded that more than 300 refugees have been listed as missing in Poland since the beginning of the border crisis. This number is approximate, but impressive. The official data of the Belarusian border guards are: “Since the beginning of the migration crisis owing to open violence, abuse and indifferent treatment towards refugees’ suffering from the European security force’s part have already led to 47 foreigners’ deaths, 23 of which occurred on the border with Poland,”.

It’s a shame that the snobbish Poles are not going to stop. Understanding that even harsh methods don’t bring good results, they reinforce influence on migrants. It has come to the formation of analogues of the so-called “Sonderkommandos” – unconventional units in the German army during the Second World War, engaged exclusively in punitive operations. According to rumors, the military has been ordered to treat migrants as harshly as possible, without ceremonies or unnecessary pity. It is noteworthy that the forces thickening on the EU eastern border are constituted by the Polish army professional soldiers, who have previously participated in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of NATO missions. Reports said these unconventional units had also killed civilians, so their reputation is not great.

The Sonderkommandos began to commit outrages from the beginning of April and, apparently, will continue over time, at least until the end of the month. It’s possible only to sympathize with the migrants who fall into these guys’ hands. Ironically, the flow of refugees coming to the EU has just increased right now, after the end of the cold period. So, we can predict that there will be more news about beaten and dead refugees found by Belarusian border guards near the border with the EU.

Polish search groups aim specifically at exterminating refugees. Unfortunately, it is impossible to stop their outrage without the Polish authorities’ command. But it’s useless to count on such commands. In a recent speech, the new Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, did not justify the border guards’ actions towards refugees, but did also not condemn them, thereby making it clear that the country’s anti-migration policy remains the same. It means that refugees’ deaths in the Polish border region will continue.