Situation at the Polish-Belarusian Border
Before Christmas, our sister Violetta, with this article from a collaborator "in the field", shared with us some echoes of the dramatic "migration crisis" on the Polish-Belarusian border.
“For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20)
On December 2, 2021, the state of emergency in Poland near the Polish-Belarusian border ceased to apply. However, the human rights violations in form of pushbacks of refugees are an ongoing practice. NGOs are still denied access to the former state of emergency, so they are unable to provide humanitarian aid at the close border area.
The bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and those responsible for other Christian and Muslim communities as well as the Jewish community expressed publicly their opposition to the actions of the Polish government.
Caritas Polska and the inhabitants of the former state of emergency organize help for refugees in various ways. In agreement with Caritas, several religious congregations and private houses have welcomed refugees for longer stays. Most of the refugees and migrants who managed to apply for asylum are staying in detention centres.
Violetta Zając rscj
Below we share a letter from Katarzyna Artemiuk of the Christian Life Community.