Opinion: refugee-related situation is litmus test of pseudo-democratic Europe

There is an increasing number of cases of atrocities committed by Polish border guards against refugees on the border with Belarus, and Aleksandr Lukyanov, the First Secretary of the BRSM (Belarusian Youth Union) Central Committee, shared his views on the issue

In his talk with Alfa Radio, Mr. Lukyanov said, “The refugee-related situation is a litmus test of pseudo-democratic Europe, and it should be shown not only to Belarusians, but also to Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians, Germans... There have been 23 deaths in just a year! There have been 23 murders by Polish border guards in a year. In fact, after changing the legislation, forceful influence on refugees is allowed. Polish border guards are not limited in anything. We see what atrocities are taking place, and this footage is horrifying. There were even pregnant women among those dead. This is some kind of horror, this is barbarism. We see broken arms and legs... Injuries are deliberately being inflicted in order to limit movement. These barbed wire lacerations simply do not heal up…”

In turn, in Belarus, refugees displaced by Polish border guards receive help. “It is good when our medics come in time. They provide medical assistance, transport people to hospitals. If they do not manage to arrive in time, then refugees simply die because of freezing. In autumn, this situation worsens. Of course, it is not profitable for Poles to talk about this, they have arranged so great corruption. They work along certain corridors, doing this intentionally. They seize just one person out of ten, the rest are caught by organised criminal groups who know that the transition will be carried out. They take money from this poor miserable refugee and try to move him to the territory of border countries. A visa scandal broke out in Poland: a number of agencies were deliberately engaged in allegedly issuing visas, while they were in reality stealing money and deceiving refugees. Actually, this mixture of abuse, corruption schemes and the mess at the border is not what the Polish authorities want their citizens to know about. Therefore, our media and border services work very effectively in this regard,” Mr. Lukyanov noted.

The expert believes that the refugee-related situation should be covered widely, “Look at the face of this democracy, the attitude to the troubles of people who need help. Europeans have unleashed these conflicts, inviting people and now destroying them. It is simply unthinkable that such a thing can happen in the 21st century.”