On 25 January 2022, Poland began building a border wall on the border with Belarus to prevent illegal immigration in the aftermath of the Belarus–European Union border crisis.[1][2]
| Belarus–Poland border barrier | |
|---|---|
Polish: Zapora na granicy polsko-białoruskiej | |
| Parts of the Belarus–Poland border | |
 Polish Border Guard officers stationed by the border wall in 2022 | |
| Type | Border barrier |
| Height | 5.5 meters (18 feet) |
| Length | 187 km (116 mi) |
| Site information | |
| Operator | Border Guard of Poland |
| Condition | Active |
| Site history | |
| Built | 2022 |
| Built by | Poland |
| In use | 2022–present |
Construction
editPoland began work on the 5.5-meter (18 foot) high steel wall topped with barbed wire at a cost of around 1.6 billion zł (US$407m) aimed at blocking the passage of illegal migrants during the border crisis in the region artificially instigated by Belarus in the late summer of 2021. The barrier was completed on 30 June 2022.[3]
An electronic barrier 206km in length, mounting 3,000 cameras with night vision and movement sensors, was added to the fence between November 2022 and early summer 2023 at a cost of EUR 71.8 million.[4]
Criticism
editSome media outlets, journalists and celebrities accused the Polish government of using border barrier to prevent entry of irregular asylum seekers.[5][6][7][8][9] During and after the intense phase of the border crisis, Poland did not close its border crossings with Belarus and did not stop granting asylum. In 2022, 1,029 applications were made in Terespol and 1,070 in Podlaskie.[10]
Since the fence was built illegal crossings have reduced to a trickle; however, between August 2021 and February 2023, 37 bodies were found on both sides of the border; people had died mainly from hypothermia or drowning.[10]
Ecologists criticised that populations of large mammals like lynx or European bisons are now separated.[11]
Attempted crossings
editDuring 2022, Poland recorded 16,000 attempted crossings of the border. In 2023, the electronic sensors logged 22,000 in the first 8 months.[12]
History
editOn 15 October 2023, Poland held a referendum, with one of the four questions asked being: Do you support the removal of the barrier on the border between Poland and Belarus?
The referendum was not binding due to not reaching the required threshold of 50% of the electorate, with 40.91% turnout. Among those who took part, 96.04% responded No, while 3.96% supported its removal.[13]
See also
edit- Belarus–European Union relations – diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the European Union
- Belarus–Poland relations – bilateral relations between Poland and Belarus
- Borders of Belarus
- Borders of Poland – Political boundaries between Poland and neighboring territories
- Polish Border Guard – Polish organization
- Refugees in Poland
- State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus – Armed border guard of Belarus
- East Shield
References
edit- ^ Auto, Hermes (January 25, 2022). "Poland begins work on new EU-Belarus border wall to deter migrant crossings | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Work on Belarus border barrier to start on Tuesday". www.thefirstnews.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
- ^ "Poland completes Belarus border wall to keep migrants out". CTV News. June 30, 2022. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ "Electronic border barrier between Poland and Belarus ready: official". 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Poland completes 186-kilometre border wall with Belarus after migration dispute". www.euronews.com. July 7, 2022. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ Tondo, Lorenzo (June 27, 2022). "Poland starts building wall through protected forest at Belarus border". www.euronews.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ "'Double standards': Poland criticised as steel wall along border with Belarus is completed". news.sky.com. July 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Poland Finally Lifts State of Emergency at Belarus Border". hrw.org. July 6, 2022. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ Gera, Vanessa; Grieshaber, Kirsten (June 30, 2022). "Poland completes Belarus border wall to keep migrants out". apnews.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "ACCESS TO THE TERRITORY AND PUSH BACKS". 22 May 2023.
- ^ Jaroszewicz, Bogdan; Nowak, Katarzyna; Żmihorski, Michał (2021-11-26). "Poland's border wall threatens ancient forest". Science. 374 (6571): 1063–1063. doi:10.1126/science.abn0451. ISSN 0036-8075.
- ^ "Beatings, dog bites, and barbed wire: life and death on the Poland-Belarus border". 2 October 2023.
- ^ https://referendum2023.pkw.gov.pl/referendum2023/pl
External links
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