LONDON
\nLaw enforcement in Poland is unlawfully and violently forcing asylum seekers back to Belarus, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, adding that those who are pushed back risk suffering serious abuse at the hands of Belarussian officials.
\nOthers who are not intercepted after being returned to Belarus face injury or even death in harsh winter conditions, said HRW, which conducted in-depth interviews in November with 22 asylum seekers in Poland, including people from Yemen, Somalia and Comoros.
\nAll but five had experienced at least one pushback \u2014 in violation of asylum law \u2014 from Polish officials on the border. They were subsequently admitted to Poland and allowed to apply for asylum.
\nA consistent pattern of abuse and violence was described by the interviewees, including beatings with batons, use of pepper spray and destruction of personal property such as mobile phones.
\nEli, 25, from Somalia, told HRW that he was summarily pushed back by Polish border forces five times between April and June. His phones were destroyed and he was pepper-sprayed by border guards.
\n\u201cThe first time \u2026 we got across the border and walked 1 km into Poland when border guards caught us. They put us in plastic zip ties \u2026 They took our phones and smashed them with their batons \u2026 They took us by military car to the borderline and opened a gate in the metal fence and told us to go back to Belarus,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI kept telling them in English that I wanted protection and asylum in Poland, but they just said go back to Minsk. I was still handcuffed when pushed back.\u201d
\nTariq, 24, from Yemen, was pushed back three times between August and October. The first time he was pushed back, border guards intercepted him shortly after crossing the fence and he was pepper-sprayed. The second time he was beaten.
\nHe said: \u201cIt was like smoke in my eyes, I was in pain for days. A border guard hit me with a baton in places so I couldn\u2019t walk, on my legs mainly \u2026 They beat me and a friend for about an hour \u2026 I didn\u2019t ask for asylum because even if I ask they won\u2019t help. I just said: \u2018I want Poland.\u2019 The border guards said: \u2018You want Germany or France.\u2019 I said: \u2018No, I want Poland.\u2019
\n\u201cThen they just put us in a car and drove us to the border and pushed us across. They took us straight to the border, no station.
\n\u201cThey had zip-tied me when they caught us so when they pushed me through the fence, I still had them on.\u201d
\nDuring his third pushback, a Polish police officer stripped him to his underwear and beat him. \u201cThen another officer came, and the beating stopped,\u201d said Tariq. \u201cThey took me to the border. There were others in the car, Africans, Syrians, and we were all pushed back. There were three women in the group and one could barely stand.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Law enforcement in Poland is unlawfully and violently forcing asylum seekers back to Belarus, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, adding that those who are pushed back risk suffering serious abuse at the hands of Belarussian officials. Others who are not intercepted after being returned to Belarus face injury or even death in harsh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-448618","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n