Latvia violently forcing migrant back into Belarus
According to Amnesty International, Latvia “violently” forced migrants back into Belarus and even tortured some of them. According to a recent complaint by the rights group, border guards beat and humiliated individuals trying to enter from Belarus into neighbouring Latvia.
The government of Latvia vehemently denied using excessive force and said that “illegal crossings” were to blame for the measures.
It proclaimed a state of emergency last year, suspending the opportunity to apply for asylum in four border regions. According to Latvia, this implies that so-called pushbacks are acceptable even though they are against EU rules.
In the study from Amnesty International, allegations of power abuses, arbitrary detention, mistreatment, hazardous and unhygienic conditions, and even torture are described.
It cites Zaki, an Iraqi man, who claimed to have been forced back and forth at the border more than 150 times in just three months, up to eight times daily at times. Adil, a different Iraqi guy, claimed that he and other refugees camped up on the snow in the woodland.
The report quotes him as adding, “We used to start a fire to be warm. There were wolves and bears, but since we had fire… they [were] terrified. “That’s how we got through it, but they [the Latvian authorities didn’t give us clothes for the weather,” he continued.
According to Amnesty, refugees, including children, were unlawfully detained in secret locations in the Latvian forest before being sent back to Belarus.
Many endured beatings and taser shocks, some of which were applied to their genitalia. Some were “voluntarily” sent back to their own countries.
Latvia violently forcing migrant back into Belarus
According to Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, “the Latvian authorities have left men, women, and children to fend for themselves in frigid temperatures, frequently trapped in forests or held in tents.”
“They have been pushed back to Belarus in a harsh manner, where they have no prospect of finding safety. These activities are flagrant violations of both international and EU law and have nothing to do with securing borders.”
