Poland extends state of emergency on Belarus border following stormy debate in parliament

The state of emergency on Poland’s border with Belarus, introduced last month amid a surge in crossings by people from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has been extended for a further 60 days.

The decision was approved last night by parliament amid angry scenes, with opposition MPs criticising the government for pushing children back across the border and the interior minister calling them “irresponsible and foolish”.

The government has argued that the state of emergency, which was initially introduced on 2 September for 30 days, is necessary to tackle the unprecedented crisis at the border. It notes that the crossings are being deliberately engineered by the Belarusian authorities as part of a “hybrid war” against the European Union.

But critics have argued that the true purpose of the state of emergency – which bars the media and NGOs from entering the area – is to hide the government’s actions there. The Polish authorities have been accused of violating international law by pushing asylum seekers back across the border.

This week, the government recommended that the state of emergency be extended for 60 days and President Andrzej Duda agreed. The issue then came before the Sejm, the dominant lower house of parliament, for approval.

In a vote last night, a majority of 237 in the 460-seat chamber voted for the extension, with 179 against. Those in favour included all present MPs from the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party’s caucus, as well as the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja).

The centrist Civic Coalition (KO) and The Left (Lewica), the two largest opposition groups, voted against, as did the centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050). The centre-right Polish Coalition (KP) and Agreement (Porozumienie) abstained.

During debate ahead of the vote, opposition MPs held up photos of a child who was recently among those sent back across the border by the Polish authorities. Artur Łącki of KO placed one copy of the image in front of Paweł Soloch, the head of the president’s National Security Bureau, who threw it to the ground.

Speaking to the chamber, interior minister Mariusz Kamiński reiterated evidence presented by the government this week showing alleged links to extremism and illegal activity found on the devices of detained border crossers. Some experts have questioned the credibility of that evidence.

During his speech, opposition MPs shouted “Where are the children?” and “Lukashenko is using you”. Kamiński retorted that it is “through people like you that Lukashenko triumphs”. He told Franciszek Sterczewski of KO, who has been active in trying to provide assistance to border crossers, that he is an “irresponsible, silly man”.

“We are dealing with mass, illegal migration organised by the Belarusian state,” said the interior minister. “I want to make it clear: we distinguish between refugees and migrants.”

Earlier this week, the European Court of Human Rights issued interim measures requiring Poland to give lawyers access to a group of 32 Afghan asylum seekers who have been camped on the border for weeks, amid a standoff between Polish and Belarusian border guards.

In response, the interior ministry noted that the group is on Belarusian territory, and that therefore “lawyers can reach them by crossing the border [into Belarus] legally”. The Polish authorities have therefore not permitted lawyers to enter the border zone on the Polish side.

A digital investigation this week by Amnesty International, however, found that at one stage the Afghans had entered Polish territory. It said this indicated they had been “unlawfully returned” over the border by Poland.

Main image credit: Slawomir Kaminski / 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.