Since November 2022, MSF has been providing medical assistance at the Poland-Belarus border, supporting refugees and migrants and facilitating referrals to secondary care in close collaboration with local organizations and civil society groups. Those attempting to seek protection in the EU after crossing from Belarus face violence, abuse, and pushbacks. Crossing difficult terrain, often in harsh weather, people must hide in dense forests and swamps to avoid border guards and military forces, living in constant fear of violence.
Many sustain severe injuries, including cuts from razor wire atop the 5.5-meter-high border wall, or from falls. Between November 2022 and November 2024, MSF received 410 requests for intervention. Direct medical assistance was provided to 442 people; 50% of patients suffered from different forms of physical trauma related to violence. In 2024, our teams witnessed a sharp increase in people bearing the scars of physical assaults at Poland’s border with Belarus, including beatings, dog bites and rubber bullets. In 2021, Poland passed legislation allowing border guards to systematically push back individuals attempting to enter irregularly, violating both EU and international law. This includes children, families, and people with serious medical conditions. In 2024, Poland passed legislation, effectively suspended the right to seek asylum in Poland, leaving the decision as to who merits protection at the mercy of border guards.
As Poland ascends to the EU Presidency in 2025, the EU Commission continues to endorse and echo some of the worst policy points Poland has put forward, including the suspension of asylum, and the dehumanising rhetoric, which characterises migrants as a weapon of ‘hybrid warfare’ employed by Belarus and Russia to destabilise the EU.