At slightest 8 radical person died along the border betwixt Belarus and the European Union, where multiple groups of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants person been stranded for weeks successful progressively dire conditions. 

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, appealed for urgent action on Friday, to prevention lives and forestall further suffering astatine the border with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The latest casualty was reported wrong the past fewer days. 

UNHCR warned that the concern volition further and rapidly deteriorate arsenic wintertime approaches, putting more lives successful danger. 

For the Agency’s Regional Director for Europe, Pascale Moreau, “when cardinal quality rights are not protected, lives are astatine stake.” 

“It is unacceptable that radical person died, and the lives of others are precariously hanging successful the balance. They are held hostage by a governmental stalemate which needs to beryllium solved now,” he said. 

According to media reports, the EU regards the summation successful asylum seekers astatine the border, a nonstop effect of Belarus, in effect, weaponizing migrants, successful retaliation for sanctions placed connected the Government over the suppression of the protestation question pursuing past year’s disputed re-election of President Lukashenko.  

International group 

Among those stranded are 32 Afghan women, men and children. They person been near successful limbo betwixt Poland and Belarus since mid-August, unable to entree asylum and immoderate signifier of assistance. They bash not person due structure and nary unafraid root of nutrient oregon water. 

A radical of 16 Afghans tried to transverse into Poland this week, but they were apprehended and not allowed to use for asylum. They were besides denied entree to ineligible assistance. Within a fewer hours, they were pushed backmost crossed the borderline to Belarus. 

So far, UNHCR has not been granted entree to conscionable with the radical from the Polish side, despite repeated requests, and only met them a fewer times from the Belarusian broadside to present life-saving aid. 

International law 

The Agency has been advocating for the group to be granted asylum, since the Afghans person expressed their privation to settle either successful Belarus oregon successful Poland. 

The request has been ignored by some sides. For UNHCR, that is “a wide usurpation of planetary exile instrumentality and planetary quality rights law.” 

“We impulse Belarus and Poland, arsenic signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention, to abide by their planetary ineligible obligations and supply entree to asylum for those seeking it astatine their borders.  

“Pushbacks, that contradict entree to territory and asylum, interruption quality rights successful breach of planetary law”, said Mr. Moreau. 

UNHCR urges the authorities to find and code humanitarian and planetary protection needs, and find viable solutions. The bureau also stands acceptable to support refugees, unneurotic with different applicable stakeholders. 

“People indispensable beryllium capable to workout their rights wherever they are, beryllium it successful Belarus oregon successful Poland oregon different EU States wherever they whitethorn beryllium located. This indispensable see the anticipation to question asylum, entree to ineligible aid, accusation and due accommodation”, Mr. Moreau concluded.