The UN refugee watchdog earlier warned that the EU-backed policy on the Belarusian border would violate international law
Poland is on the verge of approving a controversial bill that would entail refusing to accept most asylum claims from migrants arriving from neighboring Belarus. The policy, which has yet to be formally approved by President Andrzej Duda but has the EU’s blessing, has been criticized as violating international law.
In February, the Polish parliament approved a bill allowing the right to apply for asylum at the Belarus border to be suspended. The move is aimed at countering what Polish officials have described as “hybrid warfare” tactics by Belarus and Russia. Both Moscow and Minsk have denied orchestrating an influx of migrants into the EU.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that the bill still needed Duda’s signature. “It is not my job to rush the president. Of course, I know the…