Belarus' Migrant Crisis: What Happened And Why?

The Belarus-European Union border crisis began in July 2021 when the government of Belarus began coordinating an influx of migrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, to the borders of Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia. The crisis was seen as a response to the deterioration in Belarus-EU relations following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. Tens of thousands of unauthorized border crossing attempts were recorded between August and December 2021, with migrants enduring violent pushbacks, food and water shortages, and inhumane living conditions. While the number of attempted crossings fell sharply the following year, it has been on the rise again since the spring of 2024.

Migrants face violence, rape, extortion, theft, and restrictions on freedom of movement by Belarusian border guards

Migrants have faced violence, rape, extortion, theft, and restrictions on freedom of movement by Belarusian border guards.

In 2021, the government of Belarus began coordinating an influx of migrants to the borders of Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia. The migrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, were lured by the false promise of being able to easily cross into the EU. However, upon arrival in Belarus, they were given instructions about how and where to cross the EU's border and what to tell the border guards on the other side. Those who did not manage to cross were often forced to stay on the border by Belarusian authorities.

As a result, thousands of migrants became stranded in Belarus, facing serious abuses. Testimonies reveal that people, including families with children, have been subjected to beatings, threats, and inhumane conditions by Belarusian forces. They have been deprived of food, water, shelter, and sanitation, and have also experienced theft and extortion.

In one account, a 30-year-old man from Yemen described how Belarusian border guards forced him and three others to stand in knee-high water in a river for an hour in freezing temperatures. They were ridiculed and then forced at gunpoint to swim across the river to Lithuania. One man drowned, while another was swept away and never found.

In another incident, a Kurdish Syrian family, including two children, stayed in a fenced zone for 20 days, often going without food and water. They described their situation as follows:

> "We were almost unconscious sometimes and were hungry and thirsty and couldn’t find any help, neither from Polish soldiers nor the Belarusians."

In addition to physical violence and inhumane conditions, migrants have also faced restrictions on their freedom of movement. Once in a "collection site," people were not allowed to leave or go back towards unfenced areas accessible to civilians. They were trapped in inhumane conditions for days or weeks, only allowed to leave after paying bribes.

The abuses by Belarusian border guards have been widely condemned by human rights organizations, with Human Rights Watch accusing them of "violence, inhuman and degrading treatment, and use of coercion against migrants." The gravity of the abuses constitutes cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment and may, in some cases, constitute torture, in violation of Belarus's international legal obligations.

Polish border guards push migrants back to Belarus, sometimes violently, and without due process

Polish border guards have been accused of violently pushing migrants back to Belarus without due process. In March 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Poland was unlawfully pushing migrants and asylum seekers back to Belarus, where they faced serious abuses, including beatings and rape by Belarusian border guards and security forces. HRW interviewed nine migrants, including families with children, who said they had been pushed back to Belarus by Polish border guards, sometimes violently and without regard for their pleas for asylum.

One 23-year-old Kurdish man from Iraq told HRW that when Polish border guards caught them, they ignored their pleas for asylum, threw away their papers, and forced them back to the border. On two occasions, Polish border guards beat the migrants with batons, kicked them, and pushed them before forcing them back to Belarus. However, in some cases, Polish border guards provided migrants with water, food, clothes, and diapers.

Amnesty International also gathered testimonies from 75 people who were lured into Belarus between July and November 2021 with false promises of easy entry into the EU. They reported being beaten with batons and rifle butts and threatened with security dogs by Belarusian forces. They were also forced to cross the border in dangerous conditions, such as through a fast-flowing river.

The pushbacks by Polish border guards violate international law, including the right to asylum and the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. They also put migrants at risk of serious abuses and even death at the hands of Belarusian authorities.

In response to the allegations, the Polish government declared a state of emergency in the areas close to the border, restricting access to the area for journalists, human rights activists, and humanitarian aid workers. The Polish authorities have also been criticized for not allowing independent observers, such as journalists and non-governmental organizations, access to the border area.

The European Commission has been accused of failing to publicly address Poland's responsibility for the abuses at its border and not calling for an end to the banning of media and humanitarian groups from the areas where abuses are occurring.

The EU has failed to act against abuses by the EU states bordering Belarus

In 2021, the government of Belarus began coordinating an influx of migrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, to the borders of Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia. The EU accused Belarus of luring global migrants into other European countries. Poland stopped some 16,000 migrants crossing its border from Belarus since August 2021 and accused Belarus' authoritarian regime of facilitating illegal migration into the European Union.

Amnesty International's research revealed beatings and other serious torture or other ill-treatment, including people being deprived of food, water, shelter, and sanitation, as well as theft of phones and money or extortion for bribes by members of Belarusian forces.

Polish security forces clearly witnessed the mistreatment asylum seekers and migrants suffered on the Belarusian side, and yet still turned them back across the border fence. Most of the people who Amnesty International spoke to who had tried to cross the border more recently said their phones were frequently damaged by Polish forces, and at times people suffered violent treatment, including children being pepper-sprayed and adults being pushed into rivers.

The inaction of the European Commission has resulted in the continued abuse and mistreatment of asylum seekers and migrants at the hands of both Belarusian and Polish forces. The failure to uphold EU laws and protect the fundamental rights of individuals seeking asylum has led to a humanitarian crisis at the Belarus-Poland border.

Migrants are subjected to inhumane conditions, including food and water shortages, and being forced to cross back to Belarus

The situation on the Belarus-EU border has been described as a "humanitarian crisis" and a "hybrid threat" orchestrated by the Belarusian authorities. Migrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, have been subjected to inhumane conditions, including food and water shortages, and being forced to cross back to Belarus.

Since the crisis began in 2021, there have been reports of serious ill-treatment of migrants and asylum seekers by border forces on both sides of the border. People seeking asylum have been trapped in the inhospitable border area between Belarus and EU countries, including Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. This area has been described as a "death zone", where people face hunger, exposure, and brutality from border guards.

Amnesty International interviewed 75 people who were lured to Belarus between July and November 2021 with false promises of easily crossing into the EU. They reported being subjected to beatings, torture, and inhumane conditions by Belarusian forces. They described being deprived of food, water, shelter, and sanitation, as well as theft of their phones and money. A Kurdish Syrian family interviewed by Amnesty International stayed in the fenced zone for 20 days, often going a full day with only one meal for their two children.

Human Rights Watch has also documented similar abuses, including violence and the use of force by Polish and Belarusian border officials. In March and April 2022, they interviewed nine migrants who had been pushed back, sometimes violently, by Polish border guards to Belarus. These migrants reported being trapped in the area between the two border fences, as well as inside Polish territory, stranded in forests, and wandering through swamps and rivers in freezing temperatures without food or water.

In addition to the harsh conditions, migrants have also faced violent treatment from Belarusian border guards. A Syrian man interviewed by Amnesty International described how he was in a group of around 80 people driven in a military truck to the border by Belarusian soldiers. The soldiers threatened to release dogs on them and beat anyone who didn't run fast enough with batons.

The situation has been exacerbated by the crackdown on activism in Belarus, which has resulted in many organizations stopping their aid work for migrants. This has left migrants with limited or no humanitarian help, and those who fail to cross the border are unable to access healthcare, benefits, or legal work in Belarus.

Human rights groups have spoken out about the brutal treatment of migrants by guards on both sides of the border

Human rights groups have spoken out about the brutal treatment of migrants by guards on both sides of the Belarus-Poland border. The migrant crisis began in 2021 when the Belarusian government began coordinating an influx of migrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, to the borders of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia.

Human Rights Watch accused the Belarusian authorities of manufacturing the crisis and exploiting migrants, holding the country's border guards responsible for violence, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the use of coercion against migrants. Other human rights groups and academics also voiced concerns over the use of migrant pushbacks by Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish border guards, the denial of the possibility to lodge asylum claims, and the inadequate provision of food, water and shelter for migrants.

Amnesty International reported that asylum seekers and migrants attempting to enter the EU from Belarus face human rights violations, including beatings, threats with security dogs, and being forced to cross the border in dangerous conditions by both Belarusian and Polish authorities. They also documented instances of theft and extortion by Belarusian forces.

Human Rights Watch also documented similar abuses, including violence and the use of force by Polish and Belarusian border officials. They reported that people were trapped in the area between the two border fences, as well as inside Polish territory, stranded in forests, wandering through swamps and rivers in freezing temperatures for days and weeks without food or water. Polish border guards ignored their pleas for asylum and forced them back to Belarus.

Polish authorities have been criticised for prosecuting volunteers who provided humanitarian assistance to stranded migrants and asylum seekers. The activists are facing charges for organising illegal immigration, which is punishable by up to eight years in prison. Polish authorities have also effectively banned access to the border area for humanitarian aid workers, journalists, and human rights observers.

Human rights groups have called on Poland and Belarus to immediately halt the pushbacks and investigate the abuses, holding those responsible to account. They have also emphasised the need for unhindered humanitarian access to the border area and the protection of the rights of migrants, including access to healthcare and legal protections.

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