Appeal for migrants trapped between Poland and Belarus

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Since the end of the sum­mer, migrants, most­ly from the Mid­dle East, Syr­ia and Irak, have tran­sit­ed through Belarus in order to reach Europe.

The Belaruss­ian regime, sanc­tioned by the EU because of its poli­cies toward its oppo­nents and its fail­ings in the most basic of human rights, uses migrants – just as Erdoğan does in Turkey —  as a means of black­mail in order to obtain the lift­ing of the sanc­tions. To this pur­pose, Belarus has facil­i­tat­ed the migra­to­ry road toward Europe thanks to its com­mon bor­ders with Poland and Lithua­nia, notably.

Poland, a mem­ber of the EU prac­tices a strict migra­to­ry pol­i­cy and has always refused to allow migrants into the EU, espe­cial­ly under the rule of the cur­rent regime.  Faced with this instru­men­tal­iza­tion by Belarus, the Pol­ish regime has adopt­ed vio­lent means of push-back at the bor­der, in total dis­re­spect of inter­na­tion­al human­i­tar­i­an law, notably con­cern­ing unac­com­pa­nied minors, poten­tial vic­tims of human trafficking.

The Beloruss­ian pol­i­cy of push­ing migrants to the bor­der while block­ing their return is caus­ing de fac­to sep­a­ra­tions of fam­i­lies and groups, while expos­ing them to repres­sion by Pol­ish forces.

Every­thing is tak­ing place in full view of an inter­na­tion­al com­mu­ni­ty mul­ti­ply­ing press releas­es con­demn­ing Belarus  but pro­vid­ing no help what­so­ev­er for the time being to the migrants trapped by a crim­i­nal appli­ca­tion of geopoli­cies. Poland, for its part, respects none of its own inter­na­tion­al com­mit­ments either, con­cern­ing the right to exile.

These migrants, most­ly arriv­ing from the Mid­dle East, must be heard. This is why a move­ment of sup­port is emerging.

We are aware of the fact that migra­to­ry tragedies occur each and every day, in the Medit­ter­anean as well as in the Chan­nel cross­ings, at all ports of entry into the EU. There are thou­sands of vic­tims. These events between Poland and Belarus are in addi­tion to these, but must also be denounced on the scale of the tragedy occur­ring there.

TO SIGN:
 Appeal for migrants trapped between Poland and Belarus 

The cri­sis expe­ri­enced by migrants con­tin­ues on the bor­der between Poland and Belarus.

We can­not remain silent when faced with this tragedy touch­ing, once again, hun­dreds of fam­i­lies, most­ly Kur­dish, on the bor­der between Poland and Belarus.

Indeed, the sit­u­a­tion is becom­ing dan­ger­ous­ly mired for these fam­i­lies, trapped between Poland who refus­es to allow them entry on its ter­ri­to­ry and Belarus for­bid­ding their return on its own.

Hun­dreds of peo­ple, of Syr­i­an and Ira­ki nation­al­i­ty, find them­selves trapped, some direct­ly at the bor­der, oth­ers out in the open or under the flim­si­est of shel­ters in var­i­ous places in Belarus. Dozens of fam­i­lies are fight­ing for their sur­vival deprived of all con­tact with the out­side world.

Phones were con­fis­cat­ed from those who found them­selves at bor­der cross­ings. Some man­aged to hide theirs from the sol­diers and told their con­tacts that if noth­ing was done, they would die in the com­ing days.

These groups are for­bid­den to light fires, they can­not respect the most basic rules of hygiene or find ways to occu­py the chil­dren. One the one side, Beloruss­ian author­i­ties force their pas­sage toward Poland and on the oth­er side, Poland denies them entry on its territory.

Exhaust­ed, the trapped migrants find them­selves dying lit­tle by little.

They appeal to Kur­dish and inter­na­tion­al pub­lic opin­ion and ask that Euro­pean human­i­tar­i­an orga­ni­za­tions be allowed to pro­vide nec­es­sary aid, espe­cial­ly to chil­dren and sick people.

Their wish is, either to see the bor­ders to Europe opened to them, or to be sent back to Irak, rather than being left to die of hunger or ill­ness because of these two coun­tries, and under the eyes of inter­na­tion­al pub­lic opinion.

The con­di­tions to which these peo­ple are cur­rent­ly sub­ject­ed are a glar­ing human­i­tar­i­an prob­lem. In order to main­tain some hope of sur­viv­ing, they need the sup­port of pub­lic opin­ion and of defendors of human rights.

We, the under­signed, as defendors of human rights,  ask the com­pe­tent author­i­ties to pro­vide an emer­gency solu­tion to this sit­u­a­tion so this human tragedy will cease as quick­ly as possible.

 

FIRST SIGNATOREES

Abdullah Demirbaş (Sur Belediyesi Eski Eşbaşkanı), Adnan Bilen (Gazeteci), Akın Birdal (Siyasetçi, İnsan Hakları Savunucusu), Aktion für Flüchtlingshilfe e.V, Ali Kenanoğlu (HDP milletvekili), Ali Özşerik (Gazeteci), Alternatif Karadeniz İnisiyatifi, Amed Dicle (Gazeteci), Arat Barış (Gazeteci), Arzu Demir (Gazeteci), Aslı Erdoğan (Yazar), Aslıhan Gençay (Gazeteci), Atilla Tuygan (Editör, Çevirmen), Avrupa Demokratik Dersim Birlikleri Federasyonu (ADEF), Avrupa Demokratik Haklar Konfederasyonu (ADHK), Avrupa Demokratik Kadın Hareketi, Avrupa Demokratik Kürt Toplum Kongresi (KCDK‑E), Avrupa Devrimci Demokratik Komün İnisiyatifi (ADDKİ), Avrupa Ezilen Göçmenler Konfederasyonu (AvEG-KON), Avrupa Kürt Kadın Hareketi (TJKE), Avrupa Sosyalist Kadınlar Birliği, Avrupa Türkiyeli İşçiler Konfederasyonu (ATİK), Ayşe Açar Başaran (HDP milletvekili), Aziz Çiftçi (Gazeteci), Barış Balseçer (Gazeteci), Barış Barıştıran (Gazeteci), Barış Boyraz (Gazeteci), Barış Yıldırım (Yazar, Besteci, Çevirmen), Bayram Balcı (Gazeteci), Berivan Eminoğlu (Gazeteci), Carol Mann (Sociologue), Ceren Ceylan (Gazeteci), Ceren Karlıdağ (Gazeteci), Delphine Durand (Poétesse), Demokratik Alevi Federasyonu (FEDA), Deniz Babir (Gazeteci), Dersim Dağ (HDP milletvekili), Dersim İnşa Kongresi (DİK), Dilan Karacadağ (Gazeteci), Dilek Aykan (Gazeteci), Duygu Erol (Gazeteci), Elif Aydoğmuş (Gazeteci), Erdal Alıçpınar (Gazeteci), Erdal Er (Gazeteci), Erdoğan Zamur (Gazeteci), Erem Kansoy (Gazeteci), Eren Keskin (Avukat, İnsan Hakları Derneği Eşbaşkanı), Erkan Gülbahçe (Gazeteci), Ertuğrul Kürkçü (Halkların Demokratik Partisi Onursal Başkanı), European Institute for Sustainable Development, Ezidi Koordinasyonu, Fatma Şık (Sur Belediyesi Eski Eş Başkanı), Faysal Sarıyıldız (HDP Eski Milletvekili), Feda Fehim Işık (Gazeteci), Feleknas Uca (HDP milletvekili), Feyyaz Brusk (Gazeteci), Filiz Zeyrek (Gazeteci), Gıyasettin Sayar (Berlin Eski Parlamenteri), Hakan Alak (Yönetmen), Hatip Dicle (Demokratik Toplum Kongresi Eski Eş Başkanı), Hayko Bağdat (Gazeteci), Heta Sor, Heval Arslan (Gazeteci), Hişyar Özsoy (HDP milletvekili), Human Rights Defenders e.V., Hüseyin Kaçmaz (HDP milletvekili), Hüseyin Yılmaz (Ağrı Eski Belediye Eş Başkanı), İbrahim Gümüş (Gazeteci), İç Anadolu Kürtleri Platformu (PKAN), IFFA — Initiative für Flüchtlinge Augsburg, İshak Karakaş (Yazar), İsviçre Kürt Enstitüsü, KCDK‑E, Komün Dergisi, Komün Dergisi Avrupa, Leonard F. Seidl (Yazar — Schriftsteller), Mahir Üzmez (Gazeteci), Maraş Dernekleri Federasyonu (MARDEF), Marija Vassilievich (Comédienne), Meltem Oktay (Gazeteci), Meral Danış Beştaş (HDP Milletvekili), Mezopotamya Halk Kongresi, Mezopotamya Özgürlük Partisi (MÖP), Muhsin Osman (Irak Parlamentosu Eski Parlamenteri), Murat Bakur (Gazeteci), Musa Piroğlu (HDP milletvekili), Naz Öke (Kedistan), Nazey Kulu (Gazeteci), Neşe Özgen (Barış Akademisyeni), Nizam Baran (Gazeteci), Nor Zartonk — Avrupa, Nurettin Büyük (Gazeteci), Nuri Akman (Gazeteci), Oğuz Birinci (Gazeteci), Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu (HDP Kocaeli Milletvekili), Pero Dündar (HDP milletvekili), Ramazan Marangoz (Gazeteci), Sabri Bölek (Gazeteci), Sait Öztürk (Gazeteci), Saruhan Oluç (HDP milletvekili), Selami Arslan (Gazeteci), Selim Sadak (Siirt Belediyesi Eski Eş başkanı), Seydi Fırat (Gazeteci), Sibel Yiğitalp, (HDP eski Milletvekili), Sırrı Sakık (Ağrı Belediyesi Eski Eş Başkanı), Solidarity With Others, Sosyalist Yeniden Kuruluş Partisi – Avrupa (SYKP Avrupa), Suna Alan (Gazeteci), Şehbal Şenyurt Arınlı (Yönetmen), Tayip Temel (HDP milletvekili), Taylan Kulaçoğlu (Aktivist), Tony Rublon (President des Amities kurdes de Bretagne), Tugay Bek (Adana Barosu Avukatı), Veysel Işık (Gazeteci), Xeta Sor, Yaşanacak Dünya, Yeni Demokratik Gençlik (YDG), Yeşil ve Sol Avrupa, Zehra Doğan (Sanatçı, Gazeteci), Zeynep Esmeray Özadikti (Tiyatrocu)…

Translation by Renée Lucie Bourges

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KEDISTAN

Le petit mag­a­zine qui ne se laisse pas caress­er dans le sens du poil.