Strasbourg warns Warsaw, respect migrants’ rights

Poland must end the pushbacks
of migrants to Belarus and not approve the law currently under
discussion in the Senate, which proposes to exempt some law
enforcement officers stationed in border areas from criminal
liability if, under certain conditions and in emergency
situations, they use force or firearms in violation of existing
regulations. This call comes from the Council of Europe’s Human
Rights Commissioner, Michael O’Flaherty, in two letters sent to
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Senate Marshal Malgorzata
Kidawa-Blonska.
    The Commissioner expressed “concern about the ongoing practice
of summary repatriations of people at the border with Belarus,
contrary to Poland’s obligations under international human
rights law,” and urges the authorities to “ensure that all laws
and practices related to the situation at this border comply
with the Council of Europe’s human rights standards.”
There are also reservations about the law concerning law
enforcement officers, which, according to O’Flaherty, “if
adopted, could create a legal and political framework that
disincentivizes officers deployed in border areas or other
situations covered by the text from acting in accordance with
the rules on proportionality in the use of force and firearms.”
   

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