Since August 2021, several thousand exiles from many countries, lured by false information that it would be easy to cross the border from Belarus into the Shengen area via Poland, have been trapped at the border. These people are mistreated on both sides of the border. On the Belarusian side, refugees are assaulted, and on the Polish side, the right to asylum is flouted. Refugees are being turned back, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which is clear: the authorities must not forcibly return an individual to another country or territory where he or she is at risk of being subjected to torture or, more generally, ill-treatment.

In Poland, the authorities have done everything they can to limit access to their territory by declaring a state of emergency. Concertina (razor blade) barbed wire has even been deployed to prevent people from entering.

It was against this backdrop that we were contacted by Mateusz R., a Pole in charge of an independent humanitarian project, who lives close to the border between Poland and Belarus. He has been helping refugees for over a year. Although he faces a wave of criticism, many people support him. 

At the border, he helps injured people, because
Whatever the season, the plight of the refugees is enormous: they are hypothermic in winter and dehydrated in summer. They drink undrinkable water and injure themselves trying to cross the barbed wire.

We sent Mateusz 40 survival packs composed of waterproof backpacks, socks, sleeping bags, survival blankets, hats, waterproof and cold-resistant shoes, headlamps, antiseptic products and adhesive sutures.

This set cost 2000€, financed by material donations by PSF and TSPF. Supporting a volunteer is one of the ways in which we can make an immediate impact. If we managed to raise more funds, we could finance other similar actions all along the Belarusian border. Thank you for your help !

For more information on this subject, click on on this link.