Poland's Controversial Border Security Bill: Balancing Safety and Human Rights

Polish lawmakers are set to vote on a bill easing the use of weapons by security services against migrants on the Belarus border. The bill, backed by public support but criticized by human rights activists, comes amid tensions accusing Belarus and Russia of orchestrating a migrant crisis.

Polish lawmakers are on the brink of passing a bill that would make it easier for security services to use weapons against migrants on the Belarus border, a move backed by majority public opinion but deemed a human rights infringement by critics.

The legislation highlights a contentious debate between Donald Tusk's pro-European Union government and activists. Poland has accused Belarus and Russia of engineering a migrant crisis, a claim both Minsk and Moscow deny. Tensions escalated in June following the stabbing of a Polish soldier at the border.

The proposed bill could allow the use of firearms in emergency situations, a step Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak believes is necessary to support border security personnel. While public opinion largely favors the bill, human rights advocates warn it may hinder proper incident scrutiny, with critics accusing the government of adopting a hardline approach from its predecessors.

(With inputs from agencies.)