Push-backs legalized, although contrary to international law
22:40
Poland is the only country in the European Union to legalize the expulsion of foreigners who have crossed the border illegally. It is about the so-called push-backs.
"This act is inconsistent with the constitution and international law, significantly restricts, actually reduces the possibility of submitting an application for international protection," Hanna Machińska, deputy ombudsman, after the document was adopted by the Sejm and the Senate, said.
She emphasized that this act should never be passed in such a form.
The amendment legalizes the push-back procedure, i.e. the immediate expulsion from Poland of people who are caught in our country and will not prove that they have entered Poland legally. The decision to expel them and temporarily ban them from entering Poland and the Schengen area countries will be made by the commander of the Border Guard post.
Lawyers from the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights explained that the assumptions of the project violate the principles of EU asylum law. They can also be used for the illegal expulsion from the territory of Poland of foreigners who qualify for international protection. The lack of an appeal procedure has been criticized as contradicting any standards.
