Lithuanian border guards detained four Afghan men, two of them with frostbitten feet, at the border with Belarus on Thursday evening, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) has said.
The VSAT video surveillance system recorded how three people with their faces covered, believed to be Belarusian officials, came running from the Belarusian side to the Lithuanian border and cut a segment of the fence. Four migrants were then pushed into Lithuania from Belarus.
The four Afghan men walked a few dozen meters into Lithuania before they were detained by border guards from the Lavoriškės checkpoint.
All four men said they were in pain because the Belarusian officials used physical violence against them. One migrant had a bloody nose and said that a Belarussian officer punched him.
According to VSAT, two Afghan men were also pushed into Lithuania with suspected frostbite on their feet. One of the migrants was hospitalised, and the other was given emergency assistance and transported to a border checkpoint.
“This is yet another example of how Belarusian officials not only continuously damage the physical barrier on the Lithuanian side but also treat groups of migrants they bring to the border,” VSAT said in a press release.
This year, three migrants – one Egyptian and two Sri Lankan nationals – who crossed into Lithuania from Belarus have already had their legs amputated due to frostbite.
Read more: Third migrant loses leg to cold after crossing into Lithuania
Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus last year. Lithuania calls the influx of migrants from Belarus a “hybrid attack” by the Minsk regime.
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