By now, the story is familiar. In the summer of 2021, the Belarusian regime directed thousands of migrants to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, dubbed the “hybrid attack” by the affected countries. They soon responded by introducing the so-called pushback policies, turning the migrants away and sending them back to Belarus.
To this day, foreigners continue to fall victim to the decisions by both Belarus and the EU member states Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. Migrants not only suffer from border guards’ violence, but stranded in the forests between the countries, some even get lost and die, while others experience life-altering injuries.
Kamal Muhammad Al-Ghazawi, 32, left his home in Syria in May of 2023 after being called to serve in the country’s army. He says he hoped to reach Europe, from where he could also help provide for his family – a wife and three kids, aged 9, 6, and 3.
His journey, however, took a devastating turn when he experienced first-hand the pushback policy in Latvia. Beaten by both Latvian and Belarusian border guards and pin-ponged between the two countries for 14 days, he sustained severe injuries and frostbite on his legs. Kamal eventually reached Lithuania, where he was admitted to a hospital and had to have both his legs amputated.
After enduring gruelling surgeries and rehabilitation, Kamal was transferred to the Foreigners’ Registration Centre in Lithuania’s Rukla where he lives to this day. Although he was granted a temporary residence permit in Lithuania, he says his future is unknown because of the trauma he experienced.
The short documentary tells the personal story of Kamal and reveals the universal experiences of migrants who are subject to the pushback policies at Belarus’ borders with Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.
Watch the documentary here:
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