Prof. Anita Adamczyk
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
Emai: [email protected]
DOI: 10.23918/ICABEP2022p55
Abstract
In the summer of 2021, a humanitarian crisis began on the Polish-Belarusian border. Thousands of Iraqi citizens (Kurds) decided to travel to the EU by crossing the border between Poland and Belarus. Assurances from the Belarusian side about a trouble-free passage to the EU proved to be illusory. The Kurds found themselves in a tragic situation because the Belarusian side was pushing them out to Poland, while the Polish Border Guard was sending them back to Belarus. I would like to dedicate my speech to the difficult situation of Iraqi Kurds on the border, the lack of respect for the Geneva Convention and to the Polish government’s reaction to the migration crisis. Referring to the last thread, I would like to analyze the activity of the Polish legislator who, in order to stop illegal immigration, introduced a state of emergency on the Polish-Belarusian border. The extraordinary state facilitated legal changes going in the direction of reducing the scale of illegal immigration at the border and their implementation. The proposed changes were introduced in a short period of time in violation of applicable national and international law.
In connection with the introduction of a state of emergency, access to parts of Podlasie and Lublin provinces near the border was restricted. It concerned journalists and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Thus, the knowledge about the situation of foreigners at the border and the number of attempts to illegally cross the border was limited. The information space from the area covering the state of emergency was under the control of the authorities.
Referring to the situation of immigrants on the Polish-Belarusian border, one can quote Hannah Arendt and Georg Agamben, who argued that being human does not guarantee protection by the law. Foreigners on the move lose the “right to have rights” and their life, according to Agamben, is a “naked life”. They are excluded, at risk of losing their lives and deprived of their rights.
The activity of the Border Guard against immigrants, including those from Iraq, at the border, has been criticized by Amnesty International. It called on the Polish government to abandon the practice of refoulement at the border with Belarus and ensure that those in need have access to international protection. Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, also criticized the inhumane actions resulting from the Polish authorities’ decision.
Keywords: Refugees, Polish-Belarusian Border.
ICABEP2022
4th International Conference on Accounting, Business, Economics and Politics
Organized by
Tishk International University, College of Administration and Economics, Salahaddin University-Erbil, and
University of Szczecin, Poland.
