Criminal cases have been initiated against officials of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania for illegal actions against migrants. Aleksandr Rudko, the Deputy Head of the Department for Investigating Crimes against the Person and Public Security of the Main Investigation Department at Belarus’ Investigative Committee, explained why refugees mostly die in the border areas of the countries bordering Belarus, BelTA reports.

According to Mr. Rudko, the main cause of death in winter is hypothermia.

“But it also happens that people die from physical injuries and severe trauma. In one criminal case, a man’s cheekbone was broken. He was shot with rubber bullets, one of which hit him in the face. The man was taken to hospital and received all the necessary care,” he noted.

Mr. Rudko recounted a case of murder of a foreign citizen in Latvia, “The man’s body was taken to the Belarusian territory by his compatriots under the threat of violence. The autopsy showed that the refugees called for help almost immediately, while their compatriot had already lost all signs of life. This indicates that he died on the Latvian side. The compatriots asked for help, but their requests were ignored by Latvians. A criminal case has been opened on the fact of murder.”

In addition, Mr. Rudko said that there was a case when two men with broken legs were thrown out on the Belarusian territory, “There was a family with them who came to meet them at the border. Their family members had residence permits in Germany, but they were also ousted to Belarus. It is not possible to say that this is just defence of the state border. People are poisoned with dogs, threatened with weapons, and force is used. They also use such methods as denying medical care. There are people who need certain medications, such as insulin. But requests for this are ignored and sometimes it comes to the point where a person dies.”

Belarus’ Investigative Committee on West’s reaction to ill-treatment of migrants by Poland, Lithuania, Latvia

People fleeing war-torn countries or trying to reunite with their relatives in the European Union are beaten, tortured or killed in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The refugees are then forcibly ousted to Belarus or their bodies are dumped on our territory. Aleksandr Rudko, the Deputy Head of the Department for Investigating Crimes against the Person and Public Security of the Main Investigation Department at Belarus’ Investigative Committee, described how the West reacts to such facts, BelTA reports.

As Mr. Rudko explained, the Central Office of Belarus’ Investigative Committee hosted a meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, “He was given the materials of the criminal case, the evidence base. He received all this in his hands. But there was no reaction from the UN. If we talk about co-operation with neighbouring countries, it is practically null and void. They simply ignore all requests for legal assistance.”

In addition, Mr. Rudko said whether relatives of those killed or injured at the hands of European security forces are seeking help, “Yes. We can say that publicising the facts of cruelty to refugees in this sense has had its effect. Someone can identify their relative from a photo, someone from a video.... We have unidentified victims who had no documents. And people looking through the media can sometimes recognise their relative and contact us. We also get requests for the bodies of relatives who have died. This is where the Foreign Ministry comes in, working with the states from which we receive such requests. Interaction with the Foreign Ministry and the states from which these people came is almost 100 percent. And our country, unlike Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, liaises with all of them.”

Belarus’ Investigative Committee on how many criminal cases were initiated for illegal actions against migrants

News of mistreatment of migrants in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia appears regularly in the information space. The first criminal case against Polish officials for cruelty towards migrants was initiated back in 2021. Aleksandr Rudko, the Deputy Head of the Department for Investigating Crimes against the Person and Public Security of the Main Investigation Department at Belarus’ Investigative Committee, explained what has changed since then, BelTA reports.

According to Mr. Rudko, three criminal cases have been opened for illegal actions against migrants.

“One of them has been under investigation since 2021: a criminal case against Polish officials. Two others have been investigated since 2023: criminal cases against Lithuanian and Latvian officials. These are illegal actions against migrants: the use of violence, violation of their rights, leaving people in danger and so on,” the official noted.

Mr. Rudko specified that the matter concerns acts of cruelty and violation of rights of people, who were in transit through Belarus to the EU countries, “It has to be said that these people came to our country quite legally. Some came to study, some came for tourism... These people are in our country legally and they choose their own way of travelling. What is more, European states have refused to fund projects that would ensure border security. This includes blocking the movement of these people to Europe.”

Mr. Rudko added that 223 people were victims in criminal cases against Polish officials, “Of these, 18 died. In the criminal case against Latvian officials, 83 people were recognised as victims, 25 of whom died. On the Lithuanian side, there are 36 victims, 12 of whom died. Thus, 342 people were recognised as victims in three criminal cases. Since 2021 we have been collecting information on new cases of migrant abuse.”