Four dead bodies found near border in Poland amid record number of illegal crossings from Belarus

Polish authorities have found four dead bodies near the border with Belarus, where a record number of illegal crossings were attempted this weekend. The discoveries are the first reported deaths on Polish soil amid the recent surge in migrants and asylum seekers.

This afternoon, broadcaster RMF reported that an Iraqi man had been found dead in the village of Giby, which is around 13 kilometres from the border with Lithuania and 15 kilometres from Belarus. Police later confirmed to Polsat News that a group of migrants had been found, one of whom was dead.

RMF reports that the deceased was around 30 years old and died of hypothermia. Temperatures dropped to 6°C (43°F) overnight in the area.

This evening, Poland’s border guard announced that, in a separate case, the bodies of three people had been found near the Belarusian border. It said that prosecutors were investigating, but provided no further information.

Meanwhile, it also revealed that it had mounted a rescue operation to save eight foreign nationals (including a five-year-old and a three-month-old) who had become stuck in marshland near the border.

The group – who are believed to be made up of Syrian nationals plus one person from Congo, according to Polsat – were saved, with seven taken to hospital.

This morning, the border guard announced that it had recorded 324 attempts to illegally cross from Belarus to Poland on Saturday. That is the highest ever daily figure, notes Polska Times. The authorities also detained an Uzbek and a Georgian national for assisting illegal crossings.

So far in September, there have been over 3,800 recorded attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus, reports Gazeta Wyborcza. That already exceeds the total of 3,500 last month. In August 2020, by contrast, there were no recorded attempts.

The Polish government, along with its counterparts in the Baltic states and the European Commission, have accused Belarus of deliberately facilitating the passage of migrants. They are flown to Minsk from Africa, the Middle East and Asia then brought to the border and encouraged to cross.

In response, Poland’s president, at the request of the government, has introduced a state of emergency along the border with Belarus. It argues that this is a necessary measure to tackle what it calls a “hybrid war” against the EU by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Critics, however, have argued that the measures are actually intended to prevent scrutiny of the authorities’ actions on the border. A number of domestic and international organisations have appealed to the government to allow journalists to report from the area, which they are currently banned from doing under the state of emergency.

An opinion poll published earlier this month found that a majority of the Polish public, 54%, support the state of emergency, while 33% are opposed to it.

Main image credit: Agnieszka Sadowska / Agencja Gazeta

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.