Journalists from TVN TV show a live account after media representatives were allowed to be present in the border zone, at the Kuznica-Bruzgi checkpoint on the Polish-Belarusian border, on December 6, 2021 in Kuznica, Poland. REUTERS Kacper Pempel
KUZNICA, Poland, Dec 6 Reuters - Fewer migrants are trying to cross the border between Poland and Belarus, but the Polish Border Guard told journalists that it still faces threats from Belarusian forces.
The European Union has said that a humanitarian crisis is being engineered by Minsk, and a group of journalists allowed to enter the area around the Kuznica border crossing on Monday. Belarusian says the accusation is absurd.
Under a state of emergency in September, journalists were banned from the area around the border, but new rules that came into force in December allow the media to enter with permission and the supervision of the Border Guard. Polish border guard captain Krystyna Jakimik-Jarosz said that Polish security services turned water cannon on stone-throwing migrants in mid-November despite the decreasing number of attempts to illegally cross the border.
That is how it was yesterday. We saw a car of Belarusian security services on the Belarusian side of which Belarusian soldiers were throwing firecrackers every ten or so meters high. Jakimik-Jarosz said the incident had happened near Narewka village.
The Belarus State Border Committee was not immediately available for comment.
There were 35 attempts to cross the border on Sunday. On Nov. 17, 501 attempts were reported.
Critics say that the lack of media access to the border zone was intended to cover up rights abuses by Polish authorities, and that reporters and charity workers should have unlimited access. Poland denies that limits are necessary for security reasons.
The security services are helping people who live in the border zone feel safe, according to Kuznica resident Czeslaw Sacharko.
We are safe in the knowledge that there is no threat to the residents of Kuznica. He said the people who work directly on the border are those who are directly on the border.