MINSK, 18 November (BelTA) – Information about Poland's criminal actions will be sent to all the international organizations. Crimes against humanity have no lapse of action, BelTA learned from Prosecutor General of Belarus Andrei Shved.
The official said: “A legal analysis of the situation at the Belarusian-Polish border in connection with repeated attempts of refugees to enter Poland's territory in line with international rules in order to transit to Germany has revealed the following. Up till now Polish officials have been blatantly violating the requirements of international law that determine the main civil and political rights of refugees as well as Belarus citizens. Attempts are being made and the inviolability of our state border is being violated. Other multiple wrongful acts against humanity are also being committed. Representatives of the Polish government have repeatedly carried out and still carry out illegal deportations, tortures, and acts of violence against refugees. When refugees arrived at the Polish state border Polish defense, security, and law enforcement agencies implemented and continue implementing inadequate and clearly incommensurate organizational and technical measures to prevent the refugees from going to Germany. In particular, additional fences have been installed, militarized armed patrols and cordons have been organized in addition to threatening overflights, the deployment of tanks and other heavy weapons in the direct vicinity of the peaceful refugees staying in Belarus' territory.”
The prosecutor general underlined that the refugees have repeatedly and publicly declared their status, goals, and the route for travelling to Germany. Polish authorities clearly know about it. “Despite that Polish law enforcement personnel have resorted to tortures and other acts of violence, have used special gear and ammunition, toxic substances, blinding lights, demonstrational shots in the air and explosions, physical force against peaceful and defenseless people, including in nighttime. Multiple facts of illegal deportation of refugees from Poland's territory, the use of water cannons and chemicals against refugees in air temperatures under 4C, flashbangs, and gas with toxic substances were registered and documented on 15-16 November alone. Including against women with signs of pregnancy and against small kids,” Andrei Shved said. “Preliminary results of forensic tests were received yesterday. They indicate that Polish authorities used potent chemicals with toxic and irritating effects, including deltametrin and other substances, which have caused bodily injuries to at least 30 people in the form of burns, intoxication, abrasions, and bruises. I would like to emphasize that there are underage individuals among the people hurt by the illegal and totally unjustified acts of aggression, torture, and violence on the part of Polish officials. For instance, Briar Abas born in 2006, Sindi Sirana born in 2007, and women, including pregnant ones.”
Bodily injuries were also caused to reporters from Belarus, Russia, Qatar, and to Belarusian border service officers. “Every criminal action on the part of Polish officials, including in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, gets recorded and objectively documented in the course of an investigation, which was opened on 17 November into crimes against peace committed by Polish law enforcement personnel and other representatives of Polish authorities. Active measures are being taken to identify every official, who has committed concrete crimes against defenseless people. For now Polish law enforcement personnel and other officials hide behind piles of razor wire, metal barriers, tanks, armored vehicles, and 15,000 military personnel, who are armed to the teeth. I'd like to emphasize that everything that has been mentioned and other cynical criminal actions, which are now being documented by Belarusian law enforcement agencies, have been committed upon direct orders or with approval of Poland's political leaders: Poland President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, and other top-ranking officials,” Andrei Shved stated.
Belarus' prosecutor general reminded that in line with international norms and rules crimes against humanity have no lapse of action and the guilty individuals must be brought to justice. The official went on saying: “Apart from that, we have recorded multiple public statements of a number of Polish citizens, including government officials, who called for staging Poland's aggression against the Republic of Belarus. Such actions have constituent elements of the crimes described by Article 123 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, namely war propaganda. This is why the Office of the Prosecutor General has opened a criminal case, which investigation has been entrusted to Belarus' Investigative Committee. The relevant information about criminal actions committed by Poland's top government officials will be sent for legal evaluation to all the international organizations, including the United Nations Organization, the Council of Europe, and other ones,” Andrei Shved concluded.
