O The Council of Europe, a pan-European human rights body, and several activists have expressed concern that police, border guards and the military can now act without accountability.
The vote on this law, which still needs to be signed by the President to come into force, comes after an incident in which a Polish soldier was fatally stabbed on the border with Belarus.
Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union, has accused Russia, with which Belarus is an ally, of what it says are attempts to smuggle thousands of people from Africa to Europe by flying them from its territory to the Polish-Belarusian border.
The new legislation “excludes criminal liability for the use of weapons or direct force in violation of the rules” by law enforcement authorities if there is a threat to the security of an individual or the country.
Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty expressed concern earlier this month that the law could “encourage a lack of accountability”.
Polish lawyer and activist Hanna Machinska warned today that “the issue of national security” cannot “be a carte blanche for acts that violate human rights”.
“Nothing justifies the introduction of rules that constitute a license to kill, as some have said,” the activist stressed on TOK FM radio.
The Polish Army recently announced that it will reinforce its presence along the border with Belarus due to “constant provocations”.
In June, a soldier on patrol in this border area was stabbed through a five-meter-high metal fence that Poland erected in 2022 to dissuade migrants from trying to enter its territory.
Other attacks by Polish soldiers have been officially reported on this border.
Read Also: Belarus, China hold exercises near Polish border
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2605545/policia-polaca-pode-disparar-impunemente-em-casos-de-seguranca-nacional
