Polish defense minister slams arrest of soldiers accused of shooting at migrants

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Poland’s defense minister on Thursday criticized the arrest of three soldiers accused of shooting at migrants crossing the Poland-Belarus border.

"The detention of soldiers firing alarm shots at attacking migrants is unacceptable. The actions of the Military Police against the detainees will have to be explained. Soldiers guarding state security must be sure that legal procedures protect them. I will always stand on the side of the soldiers' honor," Wladysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said in a statement.

On March 31, a group of about 50 people managed to cut through the border fence and climb onto the Polish side of the Poland-Belarus border. Polish soldiers reportedly fired several warning shots into the air, before shooting into the ground in front of the refugees. In total, they fired 43 shots, with ricochets hitting the fence before the migrants withdrew.

Polish legislation does not provide any legal basis for using direct coercive measures against aggressive migrants.

The governing coalition recently announced the construction of the "Eastern Shield" and a plan to increase spending on defense of the eastern border. The "Eastern Shield" is to consist of several hundred kilometers of fences, barriers and other obstacles along the border with Belarus, costing 10 billion zlotys (2.4 billion euros).

A Polish border guard was stabbed at the border in late May, as Belarus pushed more people from the Middle East and Africa over its border into Polish territory, an act which Warsaw and Brussels have said is part of a ‘hybrid war.’

"We are dealing with an absolute scandal. The Polish state has an obligation to stand behind border defenders. Soldiers cannot be on the one hand exposed to physical attacks from migrants, and on the other hand to legal consequences," former Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said in a statement.