In response to Lithuania legalising migrant pushbacks earlier this week, the UN’s refugee agency said claiming asylum needs to be ensured not only in law but also “be effective in practice”.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it “remained concerned that the Law authorises pushbacks and may lead to individuals not being granted effective access to territory and the right to seek asylum”.
“The adopted amendments do not specify the concrete procedures to be put in place at the borders,” it said. “Consequently, individuals seeking asylum may still risk being pushed back at the borders, which would constitute a breach of European and international law.”
On Tuesday, Lithuania’s parliament legalised the practice of migrant pushbacks during a state of emergency. The country has seen an increase in irregular migration, which has been orchestrated by the Minsk regime to pressure the Baltic states, Poland, and the European Union.
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People have been trapped in the forests between Belarus and Lithuania, being turned around by officers on both sides. According to the UNHCR, “at least two deaths have been recorded since last year, as well as multiple individuals severely injured”.
“UNHCR reiterates its recommendation to Lithuania that all individuals expressing a wish to seek asylum must be admitted to territory and referred to asylum procedures,” the UN agency said. “Individual procedures should be supported by procedural safeguards to ensure effective and fast access to the asylum process and examination of asylum claims, following admission to the territory.”
“In addition, UNHCR recommends that Lithuania establish an independent monitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation of the border procedures,” it added.
In reference to Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, the UN agency also criticised the “instrumentalisation of refugees and migrants by states in order to achieve political ends”.
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