{"id":96563,"date":"2024-07-19T20:22:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T17:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/96563\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"rights-group-at-least-126-migrants-have-died-at-belarus-eu-border-in-less-than-three-years","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/96563\/","title":{"rendered":"Rights group: at least 126 migrants have died at Belarus-EU border in less than three years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n Graves of migrants at the Tatar (Muslim) cemetery in Bochoniki, Poland\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

July 19, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Human rights defenders documented the death of 116 migrants at the Belarusian-European border between August 2021 and March 2024, the Belarusian human rights organization Human Constanta, Latvia’s Gribu pal\u012bdz\u0113t b\u0113g\u013ciem and Poland’s Ocalenie Foundation said in a report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The death of 10 other migrants has been documented after the completion of the report, the Gazeta Wyborcza<\/em> newspaper has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, the death toll is at least 126.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities of Belarus, Poland and the Baltic states officially admitted 100 deaths, while rights activists documented 16 more deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the total number of deaths during this period may be 142, the document said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hypothermia and exhaustion from prolonged stay in the border forests were the most common causes, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights activists also know of at least nine cases of pregnant migrants losing children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five people died in car accidents while being pursued by police or border guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven bodies were found in rivers. Fourty-seven bodies were found in Belarus, seven in Latvia and four in Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report describes specific fatal cases, their causes, and the actions of governments and non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It concludes with demands and recommendations, which mainly concern the humane treatment of migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The migration crisis at the Belarus-EU border started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2021, the Belarusian government announced the suspension of a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions that followed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions on the border escalated this spring with the spike in illegal border crossings and attacks on Polish border guards by people trying to cross the border illegally. One of them resulted in the death of Polish soldier Mateusz Sitek, stabbed at the border with Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Latvia reports daily record of illegal immigration attempts from Belarus<\/h3>\n
July 19, Pozirk. Belarus' neighbors stopped at least 121 illegal attempts to enter the European Union (EU) from its territory on July 18, 83 attempts more than a day earlier, according to Pozirk's analysis of data from border agencies. The …<\/div>\n \n