#asylumlaw #humanrights #eulaw #poland #migrationpolicy #ruleoflaw… | Aleksandra Samonek

🚧 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘴𝘺𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘓𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘜’𝘴 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 On 21 May 2025, the 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗷𝗺 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 (366 MPs in favor) to 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝟲𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘂𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝘄, which bars individuals entering Poland irregularly from Belarus from seeking asylum. This extension prolongs a legal regime that entered into force in March 2025, initially for 60 days only. Despite early reservations, President Andrzej Duda signed the law in March 2024, framing it as a necessary step to safeguard Poland’s borders against “hybrid threats” — a position tacitly supported by the European Commission, which emphasized the need for temporary, proportionate, and well-defined measures amid geopolitical tensions. The law’s critics, including prominent human rights organizations and UNHCR Poland legal partners such as Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Fundacja Ocalenie | Ocalenie Foundation, Association for Legal Intervention, Instytut na Rzecz Państwa Prawa, Nomada Association, and others, described the measure as 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀. Multiple critical legal opinions highlighted how the law’s sweeping generalizations about people on the move dangerously obscure the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the border, where multiple reports of violence and deaths have emerged. Legal experts warn that this law represents a perilous 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 that undermine the rule of law and fundamental rights. By stripping vulnerable individuals of the right to seek asylum, Poland risks not only contravening its constitutional obligations but also violating binding EU and international legal standards. This case exposes a critical tension in asylum law enforcement at the EU’s borders: 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 of those fleeing persecution. As the Polish government doubles down on restrictive measures, more attention is needed from the international community to scrutinize such policies through the lens of legality, proportionality, and humanity. #AsylumLaw #HumanRights #EUlaw #Poland #MigrationPolicy #RuleOfLaw #Migration #BorderControl #BorderManagement #Refugees #HumanitariansAtWork #LegalNews #LegalProtection Image credit: Newsweek. Refugee in Usnarz Górny, Poland, in August 2021.