Poland, Warsaw – This week Poland refused to let cross the EU’s border to 200 Chechens from Belarus. Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said on TV that as long as the conservative Law and Justice party was in power “we will not expose Poland to the threat of terrorism.”
He explained that he denied entry to the Chechens because the border is sealed to protect the nation and Europe against terrorism. “The point is to ensure security to Europe.”
Human rights groups say torture, abductions and extrajudicial executions have been widespread during the rule of Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov and the Chechens say they aim to enter the EU through Poland to seek asylum. Most travel on to Germany or other western European countries. Some 6,000 Russian citizens, mostly Chechens, have been admitted to Poland so far this year, a 150 percent increase from the same period last year. During the same time, some 30,000 people have been denied entry, says ABCNews.
