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Belarusians in Poland in legal limbo because of Minsk’s policies, local bureaucracy, report says
August 31, Pozirk. The combination of Minsk’s repressive policies and tightening bureaucratic procedures in Poland has trapped Belarusian exiles in a legal limbo, according to a policy paper by Anaïs Marin, a former UN special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, and Hanna Macijeŭskaja, head of the Partyzanka project, which provides legal aid to Belarusian political emigrants.
Citing data collected through the Partyzanka project’s hotline, the paper says that Poland, the top destination for Belarusians forced into exile since 2020, has been tightening the screws on Belarusians and making life more difficult for them. “Now the mere fact of holding a Belarusian passport has become an embarrassment, and a challenge for many Belarusian migrants trying to open a bank account abroad for example,” the paper says.
The authors note that the tide of public opinion in Poland is turning against exiled Belarusians as Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime is targeting them with transnational measures against them, notably the suspension of consular services, including the issuance of passports.
The paper notes a widening gap between high-level declarations of state support for victims of political repression and “increasing prejudice and administrative difficulties” on the ground in Poland. Local officials frequently deny political asylum or residence permits to Belarusian applicants, plunging them into “legal uncertainty” and exposing them to potential deportation to Belarus where they would “surely be revictimized,” the authors say.
In forcing their return, “Poland could, unwittingly or not, become complicit in future violations, which in some cases amount to crimes against humanity, given their systematicity and gravity in Belarus,” the paper says.
It stresses that Polish authorities do not have to revise national regulations to solve this problem but simply have to apply “the highest possible standards of protection in line with international refugee and human rights law, and based on best practices.”
Sweden entitles Belarusians to alien’s passports
August 11, Pozirk. Sweden’s Migration Agency will start issuing alien’s travel documents to Belarusian emigrants, according to an update on the agency’s website. Belarusians will be treated as individuals unable to renew their national passports, following the suspension of consular …
