Saturday, December 25, 2021
UN concerned about the situation in Belarus
Poland’s church is committed to helping migrants
According to surveys, an above-average number of devout Poles are against accepting refugees from Belarus. The Catholic Church declares its willingness to save its own honor – but only with state support. The situation of migrants in the border area is still desolate.
The highest dignitary of the politically influential Polish Catholic Church has advocated the admission of migrants. The church itself is ready to take in needy refugees, said Wojciech Polak, Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland, in an interview with the Polish Catholic news agency KAI. The KAI interview has already been published on the archbishop’s official homepage, and the TV news channel TVN24 also quoted it in detail. When asked directly whether he himself would accept refugees in his archdiocese, Polak replied: “Yes, I would. But acceptance alone is not enough. A comprehensive system of help for integration is required.” The support of the state is necessary for this.
In the interview, Polak also responded to surveys that Catholic believers in Poland were less willing to help refugees than non-believers: “If these surveys reflect the true beliefs of the believers, it means an even more urgent call for me to follow the call of the gospel Reaffirm aid to those in need. ” Helping someone in need is a principle of Christian teaching.
UN are making allegations against Belarus and Poland
The Polish authorities are accusing the Belarusian ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, of bringing refugees from crisis regions to the EU’s external border in an organized manner. Aid organizations and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accuse both Poland and Belarus of human rights violations. Poland is sending refugees back across the border without giving them the chance of a fair asylum procedure. Belarus, on the other hand, refuses to allow them to return to the capital Minsk and forces them to stay on the border.
On Tuesday, the United Nations unsuccessfully asked Poland and Belarus for access to the border area. A spokeswoman for the UN Organization for Migration (OHCHR) said at least 21 people were killed in the border area. An OHCHR team was therefore in Poland, but was not allowed to travel to the border region. He was completely denied a trip to Belarus. The team heard appalling allegations from refugees in Poland.
Refugees have to pay for food and water
“Several respondents reported that the Belarusian security forces were demanding extortionate amounts for food and water,” the spokeswoman said. The people reported of violence by the Belarusian security forces, who transported them to the border and pushed them onto Polish territory. They also prevented her from returning to the capital Minsk. The High Commissioner requested an investigation into these allegations and called on the authorities to stop such behavior.
Several refugees in Poland reported that they had been sent back to Belarus by the Polish side despite requests for international protection. Many said they were being systematically detained and not receiving any medical attention. The High Commissioner asked Poland to examine applications for protection individually. It is disturbing that Poland is denying human rights activists, humanitarian workers and journalists access to the border region.