In Poland, the migration crisis on the border with Belarus continues to escalate. This summer, the government set up a fully militarized buffer zone along the border to prevent migrants from entering the country. This Friday, July 12, the government expanded the prerogatives of the armed forces. They now have the right to shoot migrants without being held criminally responsible. A measure that worries humanitarian workers on the ground.
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With our correspondent in Warsaw, Adrien Sarlat
Shoot preemptively and with live ammunition at anyone who tries to violate the border. This Friday, Polish MPs lifted the criminal responsibility of soldiers who are now authorized to shoot at migrants.
A mistake according to humanitarian activist Kasia Mazurkiewicz, who is worried about the lives of refugees: ” When you see someone in the forest, you can’t tell if they’re a threat or if they’re someone fleeing a country at war, just trying to survive. And you have to treat them like humans. And you don’t shoot humans. “.
With her migrant aid association, she regularly walks through the forest along the border, and now fears for her own safety.
“ For us, it is very worrying, because we save human lives, but we are afraid of being shot while helping others. From now on, we will think twice before going to save someone, because we know that we ourselves risk being killed. “.
Tensions between the armed forces and the militants are at their highest this summer. This year, more than 18,000 people have attempted to cross the border illegally. The buffer zone, however, will remain in force at least until September 13.
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