Human rights activists criticise Poland's plan to halt granting asylum
Representatives of human rights organisations participating in a public hearing of the Polish government's bill that proposes a halt to granting asylum have voiced their criticism of the legislation.
The public hearing of the migration bill that contains the controversial clause on temporary and geographically limited suspension of the right to asylum began at 11:00am on Tuesday at the Sejm, lower house. According to the clause, the halt could be introduced for periods lasting up to 60 days at a time.
During the session, Alexander Stachurski of Amnesty International Poland said that while the government's intention was to protect the security of the state, "any governmental policy that infringes upon human rights enshrined in international conventions... is the true threat to security."
"If the bill is accepted in its current form, we will wake up in a state less secure for all than it is today," he added.
Agnieszka Kwasniewska-Sadkowska of the Empowering Children Foundation asked whether the law was meant to force parents into abandoning their children to ensure the minors were eligible for asylum.
"However needed certain border protection mechanisms may be, we categorically emphasise that no breach of children's rights is justified, no matter whether they are in the womb, in their parent's arms or without any adult guardian," she said.
In October last year, the Polish government published its new migration strategy for 2025-2030. The document contained a clause on the possibility of a temporary and geographically limited suspension of the right to seek asylum, should the flow of migrants threaten the stability of the state.
Legal and humanitarian organisations have opposed this measure, arguing that it violates the Geneva Convention, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the Polish constitution, all guaranteeing the right to asylum for those facing life threats in their homeland.(PAP).
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