In an interview with the BBC, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko admitted that his country’s troops may have helped migrants from the Middle-East reach the Poland-Belarus border to seek asylum in Europe.
The European Union (EU) and the United States (US) has accused Belarus of intentionally orchestrating the migrant crisis to retaliate against the sanctions imposed by the bloc over human rights abuses and electoral fraud. They have also accused Belarus of human trafficking and agreed to impose a fresh set of sanctions targeting Belarusian airline Belavia and at least 30 individuals associated with Lukashenko’s regime. The Belarusian leader has previously repeatedly denied all allegations levelled against his government regarding the migration crisis. However, his interview with the BBC appears to be a clear indication and admission that he is behind the migrant crisis at the EU border.
In the interview at his presidential palace in Minsk, talking about the possibility of aiding migrants to reach the Poland border, Lukashenko said, “Maybe someone helped them. I won’t even look into this.” He also denied being responsible for the surge in migrants hoping to cross into Europe, saying he didn’t invite them but accepted allowing asylum seekers to reach the EU’s border via Belarus. He remarked, “I told them [the EU] I’m not going to detain migrants on the border, hold them at the border, and if they keep coming from now on I still won’t stop them, because they’re not coming to my country, they’re going to yours.”
Furthermore, Lukashenko admitted that his security forces had tortured and beat people detained or imprisoned for protesting against the 2020 presidential elections, which declared him the winner under suspicious circumstances. “OK, OK, I admit it, I admit it. People were beaten in the Okrestina detention centre. But there were police beaten up too, and you didn’t show this,” he said.
Human Rights Watch, an international NGO, has revealed that Belarusian forces abused and tortured detainees, who sustained several injuries, including broken bones, kidney damage, electrical burns, mild traumatic brain injuries, and skin wounds. Meanwhile, Western leaders have refused to recognise Lukashenko as the legitimate ruler of Belarus, claiming that the polls were rigged. Last week, Lukashenko had his first direct contact with an EU leader since the election when he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called him to discuss the situation at the Poland-Belarus border and humanitarian aid for the thousands of asylum seekers stuck at the border.
When questioned by the BBC about the destruction of civil society and closure of hundreds of non-governmental organisations since July, Lukashenko said, “We’ll massacre all the scum that you [the West] have been financing. Oh, you’re upset we’ve destroyed all your structures! Your NGOs, whatever they are, that you’ve been paying for.” Lukashenko also accused Polish authorities of violating the state border and abusing migrants by using water cannons and flash grenades to prevent them from crossing the border.
Meanwhile, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who is currently living in exile in Lithuania, criticised the interview, saying it is like “giving the floor to a dictator.” She added that the BBC provided Lukashenko with a platform to lie and further his propaganda.