Non-governmental organisations have called on the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, to vote down a bill legalising the policy of turning away irregular migrants at the border.
Over 300 organisations and individuals say the practise does not only violate international law but will also put Lithuania alongside countries like Hungary.
They say the bill contains a provision for the institution of “civilian supporters” of border guards, which is a copy of the Hungarian model. These supporters are already called “border hunters” in other countries.
The appeal was initiated by the Global Lithuanian Leaders (GLL) migration group, Sienos Grupė (Border Group), a humanitarian aid organisation, and the Lithuanian Human Rights Centre.
“The amendments, which have reached the deliberation stage in the Seimas, are not only immoral, but will have long-term consequences for Lithuania’s international image: with one hand, Lithuania is accepting refugees from Ukraine, while with the other one, it is not even allowing people who are freezing their limbs off at the Lithuanian border to apply for asylum. Lithuania is increasingly associated with a selective rule of law,” said Lina Vosyliūtė, a member of GLL group.
The signatories to the appeal also include the European Network Against Racism, a network of more than 150 NGOs in Europe, the Coalition of Human Rights Organisations, a coalition of nine human rights organizations in Lithuania, the European Council of Refugees and Exiles, which includes more than 100 organisations, and others.
Amnesty International said on Monday that Lithuania’s law would “green-light torture”.
This week, Lithuanian lawmakers are due to consider the Interior Ministry’s bill legalising the policy of turning away irregular migrants at the border. The policy has already been in use under the interior minister’s decree and has attracted criticism from rights groups and NGOs.
The parliament’s Committee on National Security and Defence, the key committee that discussed the bill, on Monday added a compromise provision that would allow turning away irregular migrants only in the border zone, up to five kilometres from the border. The Interior Ministry’s initial amendments to the Law on the State Border and Its Protection stated that foreigners who have “illegally entered the country” during a state-level extreme situation would not be allowed to enter, without specifying where in the country they would be detained.
The parliamentary Human Rights Committee suggested another provision, stating that exceptions would apply to not only people fleeing military aggression, but also those fleeing other threats, such as armed conflicts. Moreover, the concept of persecution has been expanded to bring it in line with the UN Refugee Convention.
A total of 20,100 migrants have been refused entry to Lithuania from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when Lithuanian border guards started pushing back migrants from the border.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
