Belarus authorities open criminal case over Poland’s repelling migrant attack in border area

The Belarusian Investigative Committee classified actions of Polish law enforcement personnel against migrants who attempted to forcibly enter the territory of Poland as ‘a crime against safety of humanity’.

The committee opened a criminal case under Article 128 of the Criminal Code (‘crimes against safety of humanity; mass acts of violence due to race and ethnicity’) over the Polish side’s using tear gas, water cannons, flashbang grenades in the course of Tuesday’s incident at Bruzgi-Kuznica border crossing, Lukashenka-controlled news agency BelTA reports.

In turn, Jarosław Szymczyk, head of Poland’s National Police Headquarters, says that 12 Polish officers were injured in the course of the recent migrants’ attack; he believes it to be ‘a well-prepared and planned action’. In his opinion, the people who tried to break through the border were trained in Belarus; among the most aggressive persons were Belarusian security officers, he said. The people who attacked the border crossing had flashbang grenades.

• On Tuesday morning, a group of migrants who were seeking to illegally cross the Belarus-EU border, started to throw stones, logs, metal pieces at Polish border guards from the Belarusian side.
• The video published by Poland’s Defence Ministry shows that Belarusian security officers who were behind the migrants did not allow them to leave the border area. Aaccording to the Polish Border Guard Service, the Belarusian side provided migrants with ‘special equipment’.
• To stop the attackers, Polish officers resorted to using tear gas and water cannons.
• The Belarusian Investigative Committee stated that 5 people were injured in the clashes. Belarus’ State Border Committee is set to probe into ‘the use of special means and ammo by Poland security forces against unarmed people on the Belarusian side,’ the committee’s representative Anton Bychkouski said on the back of the incident.

Belsat.eu