Human rights and a Holocaust memorial group have urged Poland's prime minister to suspend asylum, telling him the region's instability “does not cut us off from humanity”.
Then comes the intervention of more than 60 NGOs, including Amnesty International and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. Donald Tusk has announced his party's plans to introduce a new migration strategy.
That includes a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum,” he said. “I will demand this, I will demand the recognition of Europe for this decision.”
In an open letter, a consortium of NGOs criticized the comments, saying that fundamental rights and freedoms are not fodder for debate or political bargaining. “Thanks to them, thousands of Polish women and men found refuge abroad during the difficult times of communist dictatorship,” it said.
“We live in times of difficult and uncertain war, conflicts erupt around the world, and we ourselves operate on the brink of a war,” it added. “But this does not exclude us from humanity and law-abiding.”
Since 2021, Warsaw and the European Union have accused Belarus and Russia of encouraging migrants and refugees, most of them from the Middle East and Africa, to travel to Minsk and then to the Polish border.
As the migrant route is seized by politicians hoping to score points, leading rights groups warn of pushback and violence against those seeking a better life. Hundreds of people have disappeared, and dozens of deaths have been documented.
As Poland prepares for a presidential election expected in May, Tusk hinted on Saturday that his campaign would focus on immigration, as he vowed to “minimize” irregular migration and “regain 100% control over entry and exit to Poland”.
He did not explain how he planned to temporarily suspend asylum or how he would ignore international laws that oblige countries to grant asylum to people seeking protection.
Members of Tusk's coalition government expressed concern over the move. Szymon Holownia, the speaker of parliament for the center-right Poland 2050 party, which is part of Tusk's ruling coalition, insisted that Tusk was only speaking for his own party.
“We consider the right to asylum 'sacred' in international law,” Holovnia said on social media. Another coalition member, the leftist Krzysztof Smyszek, pointed to the importance of respect for the law in leading the country. The previous right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party government.
“The rule of law also means respect for international law,” wrote Schmiszek on social media. “It showed us the way during the dark reign of PiS. Let us not deviate from this path.
While the EU declined to comment on specific plans, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said it was in contact with Polish authorities to find out more details. He acknowledged the need to work towards a European solution capable of dealing with “hybrid attacks” from Russia and Belarus, but noted that “Member States have international and EU obligations, including providing access to the asylum procedure”.
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On Monday, Tusk defended his plans. It is our right and duty to protect Poland and the European border. He wrote on social media. “Its security is non-negotiable.”
Tusk's plans come months after Finland adopted a new law empowering border guards to turn back asylum seekers from Russia.
While more details of the Polish plan will be released on Tuesday, Tusk hopes to strengthen political support ahead of the election by targeting immigration, said Małgorzata Szuleka of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland's oldest human rights organization.
“It is very disappointing to see this coming from a government that has made many promises for increased collaboration and policy-making with civil society,” he said. “When it comes to the question of migration, we should have policy but all we have is politics.”
He described the plans as unworkable. “It goes without saying that suspending the right to asylum is legally impossible,” he said, citing international law, EU law and the Polish constitution. “I read this report only for the purpose of national politics. It is very populist.”
