More information
Description
There has been a migration and humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border since August 2021. The Polish Border Guard detains foreigners crossing the border illegally and sends them back to Belarus, while its Belarusian counterpart pushes them back to Poland. As a result, people are not allowed to leave the border area, where conditions are extremely poor. In August 2021, a new regulation was introduced, according to which persons unauthorized to enter Poland are instructed to leave its territory immediately and are returned to the state border line. Moreover, in October a provision was passed introducing a new procedure for crossing the border of Poland in an unauthorized manner. This legislation gives grounds to expel from Poland a person who has crossed the border, even if they have applied for international protection. As part of the project we will support 60 foreigners by providing them with a total of 400 pieces of advice and legal information. The project beneficiaries will include among others persons from Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, who cross the eastern border of Poland in an unauthorized manner and declare their intention to apply for international protection. The project will also cover people who have managed to enter Poland and are subject to various legal proceedings, but their human rights are not respected. These include persons belonging to the so-called vulnerable groups (i.e. victims of violence, torture, the elderly, children and youth, single mothers, etc.).
Summary of project results
The aim of the project is to strive to comply with international law and standards
in the area of asylum and migration by the Polish authorities towards foreigners who cross the border
Belarusian-Polish through:
- providing legal support to foreigners who try to submit applications for them
international protection in Poland right after crossing the Belarusian-Polish border and are pushed out
from Poland to Belarus by Polish services and
- providing legal support to foreigners who cross the border
Belarusian-Polish, appropriate legal procedures have been initiated in Poland, i.e. for granting
international protection, for an obligation to return, for placement in a guarded center for
foreigners, for an obligation to return, for leaving the territory of the Republic of Poland (result of the amendment to the law),
on leaving the application for international protection without examination (result of the amendment
laws),
- strategic litigation consisting in handling selected cases of refugees and migrants in order to
changes in practice and legal provisions that violate their rights in a systemic way, implementation
a specific international standard, drawing the attention of public opinion and authorities to
specific, important problem and increasing public awareness.
As part of the project, legal assistance and information were provided to foreigners on the Polish-Belarusian border and cases were selected before the European Court of Appeal. Lawyers also provided legal advice in guarded centers for foreigners.
As part of the project, we provided support and legal information to foreigners . We have selected 6 foreigners'' cases for strategic litigation before the authorities
and international courts (such as the European Court of Human Rights). We submitted complaints to the Court during the project.