On September 22, 2026 Human Rights First issued a report on harassment of HRDs at this border.
Local Human Rights Defenders working near Poland’s border with Belarus say that Polish authorities continue to target them for providing food, medical care, and legal assistance to migrants and asylum seekers crossing from Belarus.
In August 2026, Human Rights First returned to the border region and spoke with activists. They described searches of their homes, phone seizures, questioning by border guards, online abuse and threats, fading public, political, and media interest, and shrinking funding. Several HRDs remain under criminal investigation or face prosecution. Many said they were exhausted.
Since 2021, Belarus has encouraged and enabled tens of thousands of people to cross its border into Poland, with smaller numbers sent to Latvia and Lithuania, to create political problems for the European Union. Many of those crossing are fleeing conflict and persecution in the Middle East and Africa.
The Polish government has responded to the crisis with harsh measures that violated rights. It introduced an exclusion zone at the border which remains in place and bans non-residents, including journalists and NGO workers, from entering the area. It also stationed soldiers at the border and built a high fence along the frontier. Since March 2025, it has also suspended the right to seek asylum at the Poland-Belarus border. In the wake of various developments, the number of crossings has fallen sharply, but pressure on those who help migrants continues.
Leave a comment