Belarusian border guards blame another migrant’s death on Polish counterparts

December 21, BPN. Belarusian border guards have found a body near the Polish border fence, the State Border Committee’s press office said.

They found Syrian documents and deportation papers dated December 19 with a three-year ban on entry into Poland and other Schengen member states, it added.

Initial examination revealed bruises on the man’s face and limbs, while traces in the snow indicated that “the corpse was moved from Poland to Belarus through the gate for the migration of animals,” it said.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of death, it added.

The State Border Committee has reported six deaths at the Belarus-Poland border in the last few months.

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border dates back to the spring of 2021. It escalated on November 8, 2021 when thousands of migrants set up a camp near the Polish border. The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.

Migration figures had dropped significantly by the time Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, but have risen more recently.