BERESTOVITSA, 29 September (BelTA) - The Belarusian Women's Union has provided humanitarian aid to the refugees from Afghanistan stuck on the Belarusian-Polish border, BelTA has learned.
Since 18 August 32 refugees from Afghanistan have been stranded at the Belarusian-Polish border line in the area of the border guard station Rusaki. On 29 September, representatives of the Belarusian Women's Union and the Red Cross gave them warm clothes, blankets, pillows, food, sanitary and hygiene kits.
"We cannot remain indifferent to the situation. Literally at our border, on Polish territory a conflict with migrants has been worsening. These people bought the promises of a beautiful life in the West. They set off on the journey to reach these, as they thought, hospitable countries. But only Belarus turned out to be kind and hospitable," said Lilia Ananich, a member of the Presidium of the Belarusian Women's Union, a member of the House of Representatives. She stressed that the Belarusian Women's Union could not stay away. The humanitarian mission is designed, according to her, to draw attention of public and human rights organizations to the problem.
The refugees thanked them for the assistance. "You literally saved our lives. The situation is very difficult. It is cold, we are sick, including due to malnutrition, constant stress and a state of hopelessness," one of the Afghan refugees said. He stressed that all refugees just want to live - to study, to work, but Europe does not want them.
BelTA reported earlier that representatives of Polish law enforcement agencies dropped a group of refugees on the Polish side of the border in the area of the Belarusian border guard station Rusaki on 18 August. An attempt to move them into Belarus by force was made. The refugees –32 citizens of Afghanistan, including five women – openly told representatives of Polish authorities about their intention to seek asylum and refused to cross the Belarusian border. As a protest they set up a makeshift camp in Poland's territory. The State Border Committee of Belarus believes that Poland is trying to distort the real picture of what is happening and block access to the camp for representatives of international and human rights organizations and mass media.
