MINSK, 1 September (BelTA) – It is the ninth time that Afghans are being expelled from Latvia by force, representatives of the State Border Committee of Belarus told BelTA.
According to the source, a group of refugees – 14 citizens of Afghanistan, including ten kids – arrived at the Lithuanian border checkpoint Paternieki from the Latvian side in the evening on 30 August. All of them were exhausted and needed medical aid, warm clothes, and food.
The foreigners said they had come to the border checkpoint to file an official request for protection and shelter in Latvia. Apart from that, they had demanded to see a UN representative because they knew that physical force might be used against them once again.
The Belarusian border service said: “Latvian law enforcement officers assured the refugees they would be delivered to a camp and would not even be beaten. However, they deceived them once again. The refugees were led away from the border checkpoint first. The people were kept in the rain through the night and then driven to the border by car. On 13 August Latvian enforcers attempted to drive this group of refugees to Belarus' territory into the area controlled by the border guard station Bigosovo.”
The Afghanistan citizens, including women and children, who are staying at the border line, say it is the ninth attempt of Latvian authorities to make them go to Belarus. “Bad weather, the lack of food, clothes, and medications exhaust people. All of them ask for help, primarily the help of human rights organizations in order to file a request for refugee status and protection,” the State Border Committee of Belarus added.
