Access to health care for asylum applicants is guaranteed in law under the same conditions as for Polish nationals who have health insurance.[1] Health care for asylum applicants is publicly funded. If an asylum applicant is deprived of material reception conditions or these are limited, they are still entitled to health care.[2] However, amendments in this regard are planned: see section on Reduction or withdrawal of material reception conditions.
Basic health care is organised in medical offices within each of the reception centres. On 1 August 2023, the rules on medical personnel’s working hours changed. The GP in the centres have now 3 duty hours per 40 asylum applicants, while the nurse or a paramedic have 7 hours for the same number of possible patients. Both have 3 hours a week extra for every additional 40 asylum applicants. The GPs work at least two days a week and nurses/paramedics five days a week. In 2024 rules remained the same[3].
Psychological assistance
Health care for asylum applicants includes treatment for persons suffering from mental health problems. On 1 August 2023, the rules concerning working hours of psychologists changed. They have now 5 duty hours per 120 asylum applicants and 1 hour a week extra for every additional 50 asylum applicants.[4] Asylum applicants can also be directed to a psychiatrist or a psychiatric hospital. In 2024 the rules remained the same. In 2024, according to the Office for Foreigners, psychological support was provided by four NGOs.[5]
However, the psychological assistance in the reception centres is limited to basic consultations.[6] Some asylum applicants consider psychologists working in the centre as not neutral enough as they are employed (indirectly) by the Office for Foreigners.[7] Furthermore, according to some experts and many NGOs, specialised treatment for victims of torture or traumatised asylum applicants is not available in practice.[8] NGOs still point to the lack of proper treatment of persons with PTSD. The available psychological assistance is considered an intervention, not a regular therapy. There is a shortage of psychologists prepared to work with vulnerable and traumatised asylum applicants.[9] In this regard, it is important to note that the poor mental condition of asylum applicants who end up in receptions centres is not only related to their experiences in their country of origin, but also to any previous detention or traumatic experiences at the Polish-Belarusian border. Moreover, there are not enough specialised NGOs that provide psychological consultations and treatment to asylum applicants.[10] As also indicated by one of psychologists associated with an NGO providing psychological consultations in Dębak centre, establishing a therapeutic relationship there is hindered due to the transient nature of the centre.[11]
According to the Office for Foreigners, victims of trafficking, gender-based violence and victims of torture or other forms of psychological and physical violence have access to needed assistance during the asylum proceedings. According to the agreement with Petra Medica (see below), it “is obligatory to make every effort to ensure that gynaecological consultations are provided by doctors of the gender preferred by the asylum seeker”.[12]
Challenges in access to (quality) medical assistance
However, there are noticeable problems with access to medical assistance, such as for pregnant women.[13] There is no comprehensive program to support them during the perinatal period, while they are more vulnerable to miscarriages, premature births, breastfeeding issues, or postpartum depression and at the same time, due to cultural reasons, it is difficult for them to ask for help. Therefore, support is often provided by NGO’s or other third parties,[14] As one of the asylum applicants describes her pregnancy experience:
Then they moved me to Linin, it was no longer a closed camp, but the care standard there was worse, I was given the same pill for everything. From Linin, I ended up in Dębak. I was alone, feeling worse and worse, until I met a girl from Cameroon, she was pregnant too. And this girl settled in Kraków and then invited me to join her. Thanks to her, I met women from the Foundation, also from Kraków, who helped me when I needed to take care of anything, one brought me a bag of things to the hospital. I also met another Polish woman, she worked in the same building where we were renting a flat. She showed me various videos on the Internet about how to prepare for childbirth; she massaged my belly. I also spoke to a friend I live with. She had already had her baby a few months before me, she already knew a lot, which made me feel a little less scared.[15]
Medical assistance is provided by the private contractor Petra Medica, with whom the Office for Foreigners has signed an agreement to coordinate medical care for asylum applicants. The Office for Foreigners monitors the application of this agreement. A new agreement has been signed on 31 July 2023, despite the long-standing criticism of the services provided by said contractor.[16]
In particular, the quality of medical assistance provided under this agreement has triggered wide criticism.[17] In particular, access to specialised medical care worsened[18] and some asylum applicants are refused access to more costly treatments. Sometimes, only after NGOs’ interventions and months of fighting for access to proper medical treatment, asylum applicants were able to receive it. Several cases of refusals of medical treatment, drawing from the SIP’s yearly reports, have been described in the previous AIDA reports.[19] The above-mentioned issues were also reported in 2024.
One of the biggest obstacles in accessing health care that asylum applicants face is the lack of intercultural competence and knowledge of foreign languages among doctors and nurses.[20] Petra Medica which is responsible for the provision of medical assistance to asylum applicants is also obliged to ensure interpretation during the medical and psychological consultations, if it is needed. According to the Office for Foreigners, the interpretation services in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Persian, Arab, Chechen and Uzbek are available and no complaints have been registered in this regard.[21] However, NGOs have been expressing concerns regarding the availability and quality of the interpretation provided to asylum applicants in connection with medical consultations. In particular, it has been reported that asylum applicants who are not speaking Polish, English or Russian face great difficulties with being provided with medical assistance (they cannot make the needed appointments as the helpline is available only in English and Russian, and they cannot understand a doctor during the appointment, etc.).[22]In 2024, there were no changes in this regard, it continued to be an issue.
Another challenge is the fact that some clinics and hospitals providing medical assistance to asylum applicants are located far away from the reception centres, so an asylum applicant cannot be assisted by the closest medical facility, except for emergencies. The Office for Foreigners noticed that for those asylum applicants living outside the reception centres health care is provided in voivodeship cities and that coordination of visits is conducted by the Petra Medica helpline, where the asylum applicant can learn about the time of the visit and ways to get the prescription.
In 2024, 10 complaints about medical assistance were registered, all were considered unjustified.[23] They concerned inter alia:
- Long waiting times for consultation;
- Disputing the doctor’s diagnosis;
- Request for refund of a visit the foreigner attended without a referral and without knowledge of Petra Medica
Polish-Belarusian border
The humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border that started in August 2021 and continued in 2024 left many prospective asylum seekers without access to material reception conditions, including medical assistance (see Access to the territory and pushbacks). For persons stranded at the border, suffering pushbacks to Belarus and violence from both Polish and Belarusian forces, medical assistance was mostly provided by NGOs, activists and independent doctors.[24] The organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), once more present at the Polish-Belarusian border since November 2022, assisted 442 persons (until November 2024), including women and children. 39 of these individuals required urgent specialized medical care in the hospital.[25] In 2024, as in previous years, NGOs, doctors and rescue teams still could not reach third-country nationals staying in the closed near-border area (15m from the border) and behind the fence built at the border.[26] MSF mentioned a case of a group of 30 people prevented from entering Poland by the wall in May 2023: 4 needed urgent medical assistance. However, the paramedics were not allowed to access the area.[27]
Moreover, in 2024 the ban on staying in specific areas in the border zone was reintroduced.[28] The area subject to the ban on staying covers a length of 60.67 km of the border, located within the territorial reach of four Border Guard premises. Contrary to the authorities’ promises, almost none of the non-governmental organisations were granted permission to enter this area, which made it difficult to provide humanitarian and medical assistance.[29] The only organisation granted access to this zone is MSF. However, in a statement from January 2025, MSF highlighted that its access to the area remains limited, preventing the organisation from providing medical assistance to those in need. Part of the zone remains completely inaccessible to those providing humanitarian or medical assistance. MSF firmly stated that its restricted presence in the zone is insufficient to address the humanitarian and medical needs in the area.[30]
People crossing the Polish-Belarusian border often required medical assistance, in particular in winter. They were starved, dehydrated, freezing (some with hypothermia), suffering from food poisoning, beaten up by – according to their accounts – Polish or Belarusian officers, and with other injuries, inter alia foot and leg injuries resulting walking barefoot or climbing through a wired fence.[31] They are often pushed back to Belarus despite their poor medical condition. For example, in its report concerning October 2023, Grupa Granica mentioned a case of two women who were diagnosed with the first-degree hypothermia, who were pushed back to Belarus.[32] Meanwhile, in May, Grupa Granica informed about a 31-year-old man who was pushed back despite having an injured leg. When he was apprehended by the Polish Border Guard, he received some medical assistance (the RTG was done, his leg was put into a medical splint), but then he was forced to go back to Belarus. Unable to move, he lay alone under the fence for a couple of days. Eventually, when the case become a topic of discussion in national media, the injured third-country national was admitted to Poland and taken to the hospital where he was operated.[33] The pushbacks of the third-country national were deemed unlawful by the court in March 2024.[34] In 2024, Grupa Granica described the pushback of a Syrian man who had a leg injury. Along with him, a man with a heart condition was also attempting to apply for international protection in Poland. After being transported to a Border Guard facility, they were forced to sign a declaration stating that they did not declare a will to seek international protection. According to their account, when they tried to refuse, they were beaten.[35] In April 2024, the story of an Eritrean woman who gave birth alone in a forest on the Polish-Belarusian border was reported. The mother and child were transported to a hospital, where the newborn had to stay in an incubator due to difficulties in maintaining body temperature. According to the woman’s statement, she had previously been pushed back twice while being heavily pregnant.[36]
In March 2024, the Border Guard announced the formation of intervention teams. Their task is to conduct search and rescue operations for migrants at the Polish-Belarusian border.[37] However, there is no information indicating that these teams actually fulfilled their role. On the contrary, in 2024, there were still reports of pushbacks of individuals in poor health conditions.
The fence built at the Polish-Belarusian border did not stop third-country nationals from crossing this border but contributed greatly to their increased suffering.[38] As reported by Grupa Granica, many persons suffered injuries while climbing and coming off the fence, including fractures of the bones. Crossing the border through swamps, wetlands and rivers (paths that are now used more due to the construction of the fence) increased the risk of drownings, injuries, hypothermia and – in consequence – death.[39] In January 2025, MSF claimed that:
In the last two years, one-third of MSF patients have suffered injuries from crossing or falling from the border fence, including fractures or deep lacerations. In total, nearly half of the hospital referrals involved individuals requiring hospital care or surgical procedures due to wounds and orthopaedic injuries caused by border barriers.[40]
Over the course of two years, MSF has received 64 requests for medical assistance from at least 123 individuals who were stuck on the other side of the fence and unable to access Poland’s border infrastructure, surveillance system, and were being subjected to pushbacks. According to MSF:
Unable to gain direct access to individuals, MSF appealed to the border guard authorities for assistance and to ensure the safety of those affected, in accordance with the rights and responsibilities of these services. However, only a quarter of the calls made to the state authorities resulted in patients being transported to the hospital (a total of 31 people). The rest, over 90 individuals, remained trapped on the eastern side of the barrier, in potentially critical condition, unable to receive urgent medical care.[41]
MSF also highlighted the mental health problems of third-country national they treated at the Polish-Belarusian border in 2024: ‘Most of the patients showed signs of psychological distress, with 22 of them being in a very severe mental state.’[42]
In practice, seeking assistance of the ambulance and referrals to hospitals are treated as a measure of last resort, since the Border Guard has been known to take third-country nationals from hospitals and push them back to Belarus.[43] The are reported cases of pushbacks after a person was discharged form hospital. In 2024, the Ombudsman initiated an investigation into the case of a Syrian citizen who was staying in a hospital and was immediately pushed back after being discharged.[44] According to the information from the Ombudsman, he expressed a will to apply for international protection and required medical assistance. According to MSF, in 2024, civil society organisations documented at least 13 cases of pushbacks of patients from medical care facilities in the border region.[45]
In April 2023, following his visit at the Polish-Belarusian border, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of Migrants remarked: “On both sides of the border, fear of being subjected to further acts of violence or other repercussions, such as pushbacks or detention, has prevented affected migrants from seeking medical and non-medical assistance to address their needs”.[46]
Actions of the Polish forces (the Border Guard, but also military) increase even further the risks for health and life of third-country nationals. In the PRAB report, “a case of a Syrian asylum seeker with symptoms of hypoglycaemia who was beaten and suffered fractures after he fainted for his insulin dependency” was mentioned.[47] Despite his medical condition, he was pushed back to Belarus. As reported by Grupa Granica, in November 2023 “a Syrian citizen was shot in the back at the border. Fortunately, the bullet missed the spine and the vital organs. According to his account, he crossed the border with his group through a hole in the fence. They walked a few kilometres into Polish territory where they heard the polish services. They broke off to flee, the man was shot in the back. (…) The man underwent more than six hours of surgery at the University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok.”[48] The statements of third-country nationals indicate that the Border Guard frequently used pepper spray against them in 2024.[49] Among the accounts of migrants gathered by the Grupa Granica and We are Monitoring in 2024, there are also numerous stories of violence by the Border Guard, such as kicking, beating, or forcefully pushing through the gate barrier.[50] According to MSF, the number of cases related to intentional violence on Polish and Belarusian territory doubled in 2024 compared to 2023.[51]
In June 2024 Grupa Granica made public information about a 35-year-old Iranian woman with a gunshot wound to her eye that was admitted to a border hospital. She claimed the shot came from a uniformed person on the Polish side of the border, while she was near the fence on the Belarusian side, hungry and seeking food. After being shot, two masked individuals escorted her to Poland and directed her to a hospital. Although the woman did not specifically identify the shooter, she asserted that the individual was a member of the uniformed services on the Polish side.[52]
Between August 2021 and February 2024, at least 55 persons died at the border.[53] For example, HFHR reported in November 2023 that 60 persons were found dead on both sides of the border since the beginning of the crisis in August 2021. [54] In January 2023, the body of a Yemeni doctor was found in the woods near the Polish-Belarusian border. The third-country nationals that were accompanying the ill Yemeni national informed the Border Guard about his location and critical condition. Their requests to send medical assistance were ignored and they were instead pushed back to Belarus. The Yemeni national was found only when another patrol was informed about his serious condition, but he was already dead by then.[55] In 2023, the death of an Ethiopian woman raised particular concerns as reportedly the Polish Police and Border Guard were informed by other third-country nationals about her bad medical condition, but – instead of transporting her to the hospital – they pushed her back to Belarus. The Human Rights Commissioner is investigating this case; however, the Border Guard and Police seem to be unwilling to cooperate.[56] At the end of November 2024, the body of another person was found. It is likely that the man died from hypothermia. The man was reportedly from Eritrea.[57]
The HFPC received information about 374 missing individuals due to the humanitarian crisis on Polish – Belarusian border. As of June 30, 2024, 32 people were confirmed dead since the beginning of crisis in 2021, while 133 individuals were found alive. The status of 151 people remains unverified, and 32 individuals are considered actively missing, with families continuing their search.[58]
The death toll at the Polish-Belarusian border and the risks accompanying crossing this border were also noticed by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of Migrants:
80. Pushback practices at the border have cost migrants’ lives. Continued reports of migrants stranded at the Polish-Belarusian border, especially new arrivals, confirm that harsh border governance measures and the construction of the physical fence have not deterred irregular border crossing attempts but have heightened the risks to migrants and increased their suffering. Serious concerns remain over the physical and mental integrity of all migrants stranded at the Polish-Belarusian border, particularly in view of incoming arrivals and the increasingly harsh circumstances after the installation of the fence, including during winter weather. These conditions may also amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and may result in violations of the rights to life and security of person.[59]
In an increasing number of judgments issued between 2022 and 2024 courts condemned pushbacks at the Polish-Belarusian border, also in cases concerning pushbacks from Polish hospitals.
- In judgment no. IV SA/Wa 615/22, the Voivodship Administrative Court in Warsaw considered a case of a Syrian national who was pushed back to Belarus in November 2021 after a short stay in a Polish hospital and in spite of his pleadings for asylum. In Belarus, he was subject to violence from the Belarusian authorities forcing him to go back to Poland. A decision ordering his immediate removal was issued and challenged by the HFHR’s lawyer. The court annulled the decision, explaining that the Border Guard did not rigorously assess the factual situation of the third-country national, in particular, the circumstances of his arrival to Poland and his situation upon return. The court highlighted that the principle of non-refoulement still applies at the Polish-Belarusian border.[60]
- In May 2023, the Voivodship Administrative Court in Białystok issued a judgement concerning a pushback of a third-country national, who was seeking help for an Ethiopian woman in a worsening medical condition. He was apprehended by the Border Guard and pushed back to Belarus. The Border Guard did not search for the ill woman. Her body was found couple days later by the activists. The court considered the pushback to be illegal.[61]
- In a case decided in March 2024, the Voivodship Administrative Court in Białystok (case no. II SA/Bk 71/24) condemned pushbacks of an Ethiopian national who was firstly forced to go back to Belarus upon his release from the Polish hospital with a leg in a medical splint and a referral for a surgery. When he returned to Poland, he again was hospitalized and a cast was put on his leg. However, once more, he was pushed back to Belarus, despite his pleadings for asylum and inability to walk.[62]
- Similarly, in judgement no.II SA/Bk 72/24, the Voivodship Administrative Court in Białystok stated that a pushback of an Afghan citizen who had been put a plaster earlier in hospital was illegal and ineffective.[63]
- A case concerning a pushback from a hospital was also communicated to the Polish government by the ECtHR in June 2022.[64]
- In June 2024, the case of A. and Others v. Poland was referred to the Grand Chamber of ECtHR.[65] It concerns 32 Afghan nationals whose requests for international protection were ignored. They were trapped in border zone without food, water, medical assistance, or shelter for weeks. In February 12, 2025, the Grand Chamber heard arguments in the case.[66]
[1] Article 73(1) Law on Protection. In February 2024, a new law was proposed that, inter alia, facilitates access to medical assistance for new-borns whose parent(s) seek asylum in Poland.
[2] Articles 76(1) and 70(1) Law on Protection.
[3] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 19 February 2025.
[4] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 16 February 2024.
[5] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 19 February 2025.
[6] See Pachocka, M. and Sobczak-Szelc K., ‘Refugee Protection Poland – Country Report’, Multilevel Governance of Mass Migration in Europe and Beyond Project (Horizon2020), January 2020, available here 70. The Office for Foreigners claims that those psychologists’ assistance concentrates on psychological support and counselling and also on diagnosis of mental disorders, including PTSD.
[7] M. Pachocka, K. Pędziwiatr, K. Sobczak-Szelc, J. Szałańska, ‘Reception Policies, Practices and Responses: Poland Country Report’, 2020, RESPOND Working Papers 2020/45, available here 71.
[8] See e.g. M. Szczepanik, ‘Right to healthcare and access to medical services for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in Poland’, May 2017, available here. See also Małgorzata Jaźwińska and Magdalena Sadowska, ‘Osoby, które doświadczyły przemocy’, in SIP, Prawa cudzoziemców w Polsce w 2019 roku. Raport, 2020, available in Polish here, 13-14, pointing out that persons who were subject to violence are not properly identified.
[9] Pachocka, M. and Sobczak-Szelc K., ‘Refugee Protection Poland – Country Report’, Multilevel Governance of Mass Migration in Europe and Beyond Project (Horizon2020), January 2020, available here 71.
[10] M. Szczepanik, ‘Right to healthcare and access to medical services for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in Poland’, May 2017, available here.
[11] Polskie Forum Migracyjne, ‘Wszyscy wokół cierpią’ May 2024, available in Polish here, 9.
[12] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 16 February 2024.
[13] Polskie Forum Migracyjne, ‘Being There is the Most Important Thing Supporting Refugee and Migrant Women in the Perinatal Period the Experiences of the Polish Migration Forum Foundation’, available in English here, 16.
[14] Ibid. 49.
[15] Ibid. 55.
[16] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 16 February 2024.
[17] See e.g. HFHR, Input to the EUAA’s Asylum Report, February 2023, available in English here, 9.
[18] M. Pachocka, K. Pędziwiatr, K. Sobczak-Szelc, J. Szałańska, ‘Reception Policies, Practices and Responses: Poland Country Report’, 2020, RESPOND Working Papers 2020/45, available here, 70.
[19] See AIDA, Country Report Poland – 2021 Update, May 2022, available here.
[20] M. Koss-Goryszewska, ‘Służba zdrowia’ in A. Górska, M. Koss-Goryszewska, J. Kucharczyk (eds), W stronę krajowego machanizmu ewaluacji integracji: Diagnoza sytuacji beneficjentów ochrony międzynarodowej w Polsce, Instytut Spraw Publicznych 2019, 43.
[21] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 16 February 2024.
[22] A. Chrzanowska, ‘Dostęp do leczenia osób ubiegających się o ochronę międzynarodową’ in SIP, Prawa cudzoziemców w Polsce w 2020 roku. Raport, 2021, available in Polish here, 74-75. See also HFHR, Input to the EUAA’s Asylum Report, February 2023, available in English here, 9.
[23] Information provided by the Office for Foreigners, 19 February 2025.
[24] See e.g. PRAB, ‘Pushbacks at Europe’s borders: a continuously ignored crisis’, 31 January 2024, available in English here, 12.
[25] Medicins Sans Frontiers, ‘Uwięzieni pomiędzy granicami, zagrażające życiu konsekwencje zwiększonej militaryzacji i przemocy na granicy polsko-białoruskiej.’, January 2025, available in Polish here.
[26] ECRE, ‘Seeking Refuge in Poland: A Fact-Finding Report on Access to Asylum and Reception Conditions for Asylum Seekers’, April 2023, available here, 14; PRAB, ‘What we do in the shadows’, May 2023, available in English here, 9.
[27] Medicins Sans Frontieres, ‘Death, Despair and Destitution: The Human Costs of EU’s Migration Policies’, February 2024, available in English here, 29.
[28] PRAB, ‘The pushback – disconnect: current and anitcipated practice’, October 2024, available in English here, 13.
[29] SIP, ‘Opposition to Government’s Extension of ‘No-Go Zone’ at Polish-Belarusian Border: Letter Submitted to MIAA’ September 2024, available in English here.
[30] Medicins Sans Frontieres, ‘Polska: oświadczenie Lekarzy bez Granic’, January 2025, available in Polish here.
[31] See e.g. Medicins Sans Frontieres, ‘Polska: Lekarze bez Granic prowadzą działania na granicy polsko-białoruskiej’, 2023, available in Polish here.
[32] Grupa Granica, ‘October 2023. Report from the Polish-Belarusian border’, November 2023, available in English here, 8.
[33] B. Rumieńczyk, ‘Uchodźca z granicy polsko-białoruskiej nareszcie w szpitalu. Ale co z innymi wyrzuconymi za mur?’, 8 May 2023, Oko.press, available in Polish here.
[34] HFHR, ‘Mężczyzna ze złamaną nogą wywieziony na granicę w bagażniku – kolejny wyrok stwierdzający bezskuteczność pushbacków’, 11 March 2024, available in Polish here.
[35] We are Monitoring, Grupa Granica, ‘Października 2024. Raport z granicy polsko – białoruskiej’ october 2024, available in Polish here.
[36] Stowarzyszenie EGALA, Poród w Lesie. Mama i córka są już bezpieczne. April 2024. Available in Polish here.
[37] SG, ‘Search and rescue teams in the Border Guard’,march 2024, available in Polish here.
[38] SIP, EUAA Asylum Report CSO Input, 6 February 2023, available here, Medicins Sans Frontieres, ‘Death, Despair and Destitution: The Human Costs of EU’s Migration Policies’, February 2024, available in English at: https://bit.ly/4cDYlK3, 29.
[39] PRAB, ‘Beaten, punished and pushed back’, January 2023, available in English here, 14.
[40] Medicins Sans Frontiers, ‘Uwięzieni pomiędzy granicami, zagrażające życiu konsekwencje zwiększonej militaryzacji i przemocy na granicy polsko-białoruskiej.’, January 2025, available in Polish here.
[41] Ibid.
[42] Ibid.
[43] Grupa Granica, ‘October 2023. Report from the Polish-Belarusian border’, November 2023, available in English here, 11; PRAB, ‘Pushbacks at Europe’s borders: a continuously ignored crisis’, 31 January 2024, available in English here, 12; Medicins Sans Frontieres, ‘Death, Despair and Destitution: The Human Costs of EU’s Migration Policies’, February 2024, available in English here, 44.
[44] The Ombudsman, ‘The Ombudsman is asking the Border Guard about the fate of the foreigner at the Polish-Belarusian border’, April 2024, available in Polish here.
[45] Medicins Sans Frontiers, ‘Uwięzieni pomiędzy granicami, zagrażające życiu konsekwencje zwiększonej militaryzacji i przemocy na granicy polsko-białoruskiej.’, January 2025, available in Polish here.
[46] ‘Visit to Poland – Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales’, 21 April 2023, available here.
[47]PRAB, ‘What we do in the shadows’, May 2023, available in English here, 7.
[48] Grupa Granica, ‘November 2023. Report from the Polish-Belarusian border’, December 2023, available in English here, 4.
[49] We are Monitoring, Grupa Granica, ‘I said I want to stay in Poland, 12 months of new government on polish belarusian border’, December 2024, available in English here.
[50] We Are Monitoring, Grupa Granica, ‘12 Months of the New Government in Polish-Belarusian Border Relations’, December 2024, available in English here.
[51] Medicins Sans Frontiers, ‘Uwięzieni pomiędzy granicami, zagrażające życiu konsekwencje zwiększonej militaryzacji i przemocy na granicy polsko-białoruskiej.’, January 2025, available in Polish here.
[52] Grupa Granica, ‘Kobieta postrzelona w oko na granicy. Domagamy się natychmiastowych wyjaśnień’. available in Polish here.
[53] The number provided by: Fundacja Ocalenie, ‘Apel do Premiera’, 9 January 2024, available in Polish here, 2; Amnesty International, ‘Opinia przyjaciela sądu dotycząca wyroku w sprawie udzielania pomocy na granicy polsko-białoruskiej’, 15 December 2023, available in Polish here, Medicins Sans Frontieres, ‘Death, Despair and Destitution: The Human Costs of EU’s Migration Policies’, February 2024, available in English here. 44.
[54] Information provided by HFHR, see here.
[55] Stowarzyszenie EGALA, ‘Kolejna śmierć’, 14 January 2023, available in Polish here.
[56] Human Rights Commissioner, ‘Śmierć młodej kobiety z Etiopii w lesie na granicy. RPO prosi o wyjaśnienia Policję i Straż Graniczną’, 14 February 2023, available here, and ‘Śmierć obywatelki Etiopii przy granicy. RPO pyta policję, co zrobiła w celu jej odnalezienia i pomocy. Kolejne pismo’, 30 April 2023, available here.
[57] Gazeta Wyborcza, ‘Wstępne ustalenia: migrant odnaleziony przy granicy zmarł z wychłodzenia. To Erytrejczyk.”, available in Polish here.
[58] HFPC, Disappearances on the Polish-Belarusian border. Pushbacks as a factor in enforced disappearances in Poland. available in English here.
[59] ‘Visit to Poland – Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales’, 21 April 2023, available here.
[60] HFHR, ‘Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Warszawie uchylił decyzję Straży Granicznej o zawróceniu obywatela Syrii do granicy z Białorusią’, 10 June 2022, available in Polish here.
[61] Voivodship Administrative Court in Białystok (Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Białymstoku), judgment of 30 May 2023, no. II SA/Bk 244/23, described here: PRAB, ‘Surprisingly surprised’, September 2023, available in English here, 16; and here: HFHR, ‘Prosił o pomoc dla umierającej towarzyszki podróży, został wywieziony do Białorusi. Sąd uznał, że wywózka obywatela Etiopii była niezgodna z prawem’, 3 July 2023, available in Polish here.
[62] HFHR, ‘Mężczyzna ze złamaną nogą wywieziony na granicę w bagażniku – kolejny wyrok stwierdzający bezskuteczność pushbacków’, 11 March 2024, available in Polish here.
[63] Voivodship Administrative Court in Białystok (Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny w Białymstoku), judgment of 05 March 2024, no. II SA/Bk 244/23, available in Polish here.
[64] Applications nos. 52405/21 and 53402/21 K.A. and M.A. and Others against Poland.
[65] ECtHR, available in English here.
[66] SIP, ‘R.A. and Others v. Poland – What’s at Stake?’, 19 February 2025, available in English here.