BELARUS: WHEN A STATE BECOMES A TRAFFICKER

The condition of migrants crowding the borders between Belarus and Poland is increasingly delicate and risks becoming dramatic from the point of view of respect for the most basic human rights.
As reported by many international networks including BBC News and Deutsche Welle, it looks Belarus have facilitated for a while the release of tourist visas for citizens residing in Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations. A strategic move aimed at facilitating their entry into a country bordering the European Union.
According to what was reported by the investigative journalists of the media cited, it is alleged that the Belarusian authorities, now flanked by real human traffickers, have facilitated and organised the transport of “tourists” to the border with Poland.
A sort of act of force against the European Union, which has always been against the dictator Alexander Lukashenko who governs Belarus. A dispute that now sees thousands of people stuck in limbo, who day after day see their living conditions worsen. The risk now is that the border between the two countries will turn red, also given the many slums that are emerging and the increasingly rigid temperatures.
The European Union has announced new sanctions and may soon ban the Belarusian airline Belavia from using aircraft hired from European suppliers (which make up a large part of its fleet). However, these precautions do not seem capable of resolving a situation that appears increasingly dramatic. We sincerely hope that this age-old issue will be resolved as soon as possible. Thousands of people are in danger of their lives and using human beings as weapons of political pressure is inhumane and reprehensible.