30/09/2021 Session
PACE has called on the authorities of Belarus to “stop the instrumentalisation of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers”, in particular those in a vulnerable situation, and to “stop facilitating travel to Belarus of third country nationals under false pretences of tourism”.
In a resolution based on a report by Anne-Mari Virolainen (Finland, EPP/CD) following an urgent debate today, the Assembly said the migration and asylum pressures at the border of Belarus with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland had been “orchestrated by the Belarusian authorities in response to EU sanctions against Belarus imposed for harsh violations of human rights”.
The parliamentarians also called on the authorities of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to provide access to asylum procedures, refrain from pushbacks into Belarus, and safeguard the rights of those seeking to enter their territory.