Poland should help persecuted, UNHCR urges

>>WARSAW: The UN Refugee Agency on Friday urged Poland to help people fleeing war and persecution after Europe’s human rights court ruled Warsaw had broken an international convention by denying asylum procedures to refugees.

The conservative-nationalist government in Poland, a deeply Catholic and largely homogeneous country, has said it has restricted entry to refugees due to security concerns.

Critics of the government say it is shirking its humanitarian responsibilities, exploiting anti-migrant feeling in Europe and pandering to populist sentiment at home.

On Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights, hearing lawsuits brought by a total of 13 Russians, said Poland had violated the European Convention on Human Rights by denying them the possibility of applying for international protection.

States have an obligation under international law to protect those who seek asylum by permitting them access to territory and safe reception, the UNHCR refugee agency said in a statement.

“People fleeing war, violence and persecution need protection,” said Anne-Marie Deutschlander, UN Refugee Agency head for Europe.

“Refusal to grant them entry at the border, without properly assessing their claims, is in dichotomy with the country’s obligations.”

In one of the cases considered by the court, a Russian national from Chechnya staying in Belarus alleged that he had travelled to the Polish-Belarusian border at least 30 times, trying to lodge an application for international protection.