Poland increasingly rejects Belarusian asylum claims despite ongoing repression

Polish authorities are increasingly denying Belarusians refugee status, citing the reasoning that persecution in their home country no longer threatens them.

Euroradio is aware of two such cases. We are presenting them in anonymized form with the permission of the document holders (the original decisions are in the editorial office), and legalization services specialist Volha Tsimkina commented on the difficulties Belarusian emigrants are currently facing.

Denied Both Refugee Status and Subsidiary Protection

Like most Belarusians, Ivan's (name changed) life changed after the political crisis of 2020. The man participated in mass protests following the presidential elections and also supported those who faced repression. He transferred money to funds that helped detainees and political prisoners.

According to Ivan, after the protests ended, Belarusian security forces began showing interest in him: police called his parents trying to find out where he was, and a summons for interrogation arrived at their address.

The man also feared that the authorities might have identified him through CCTV footage during protest actions or tracked him through money transfers in support of civic initiatives.

The start of the full-scale invasion brought a new fear — that of potential mobilization. The man worried that he could be conscripted and sent to war against Ukraine. Ivan had previously undergone a military medical examination and received the category of "fit for military service."

So in December 2022, he left for Poland on a humanitarian visa. He did not apply for international protection immediately — he submitted his application for refugee status only on May 9, 2025. In his application, he explained that he considered returning to his home country dangerous for himself.

However, Polish authorities, having examined his arguments, reached a different conclusion. The Office for Foreigners denied Ivan both refugee status and subsidiary protection.

The decision noted that his participation in the 2020 protests was not of a public nature that would have made him a prominent figure for Belarusian authorities.

Officials indicated that Ivan was not an organizer of protests, did not play a public role, and had not faced detention or criminal prosecution after the events of 2020.

The arguments about donations to funds supporting those subjected to repression — through which security forces continue to arrest and imprison Belarusians to this day — were also not recognized as sufficient grounds for protection.

The Polish side noted that persecution in Belarus mainly affected those who played a visible role in the events: organizing fundraising, leading initiatives, or engaging in other opposition activities.

In the opinion of the authority, Ivan's case lacked signs that his particular experience could lead to a real and individual risk of criminal prosecution.

The arguments about the possibility of being sent to war also failed to convince the Polish authorities. The decision emphasized that at the time of the case review, no mobilization had been officially declared in Belarus, and the Belarusian army was not directly participating in combat operations on Ukrainian territory.

Ultimately, Polish authorities acknowledged that the human rights situation in Belarus remains difficult, but concluded that Ivan had not proven the existence of a specific threat — a risk of persecution, torture, or other serious harm — that would provide grounds for granting refugee status or international protection.

"There Is No Internal Armed Conflict on the Territory of Belarus"

Ilona (name changed) was luckier than Ivan. The woman also applied for asylum, but ultimately received subsidiary protection status from Poland, which, by her own admission, was not the best outcome.

"But we have what we have," she noted.

Unlike Ivan, Ilona's experience of political activity was considerably more extensive. She was part of the initiative group of Viktor Babaryka's campaign headquarters and was a coordinator of independent observers from the organization "Honest People," which was later recognized by Belarusian authorities as an extremist formation. The woman was detained once.

In addition, she worked as a moderator of the MolaMola platform, where during that period funds were actively raised to help detainees and political prisoners.

She left Belarus in October 2021 for Poland, fearing a new detention that could end in a prison sentence.

Despite her considerable activist experience, the path to obtaining official status in Poland proved difficult for Ilona — she submitted her documents in early 2025.

According to the assessment of Polish authorities, her activities were insufficient to recognize that she personally faced a threat of political persecution in Belarus within the meaning of the Geneva Convention.

Polish officials did not see in her case the level of political activity typically associated with a direct threat of persecution from the Belarusian state.

Indeed, the decision notes that Belarusian authorities primarily persecute opposition leaders, former presidential candidates, prominent activists, independent journalists, and people whose activities were widely known to security structures.

According to the assessment of the inspector from the Office for Foreigners, Ilona was not a public leader of the protest movement, did not hold leadership positions in opposition structures, was not convicted, and was able to leave Belarus legally. Therefore, her fear of returning to her country of origin was deemed insufficiently justified specifically in the context of the threat of political persecution.

At the same time, the decision emphasizes that Belarus remains a country with strict state control, where participants in the 2020 protests may face detentions, interrogations, charges, and punishments. In the opinion of Polish authorities, upon return Ilona may again come to the attention of security agencies due to her participation in post-election protests.

The Polish authority also separately noted that "there is currently no internal or international armed conflict on the territory of Belarus that could pose a threat to the civilian population."

This means that Poland does not view Belarus as a zone of armed conflict where the civilian population is threatened by mass violence due to war or armed clashes. There are no combat operations, front lines, or chaotic violence against the population characteristic of states engulfed in war.

However, the absence of war does not mean the absence of danger. That is precisely why Polish authorities made an intermediate decision: they did not recognize Ilona as a refugee, but granted her subsidiary protection.

"Silence Only Makes the Situation Worse"

Manager Volha Tsimkina, who provides legalization services in Poland, contacted Euroradio with Ivan's story.

According to her, his situation is similar to that of many other Belarusians currently.

"Previously, cases like this generally did not cause major problems, which is why this case particularly struck me.

But the main problem is not the refusal itself, since Ivan may not have described his situation in sufficient detail or attached all the necessary documents. The greatest concern is raised by the reasoning in the authorities' decision, which claims that repression in Belarus has supposedly stopped."

In the interlocutor's opinion, such a conclusion appears very dangerous, as it creates the impression that Belarusians can already safely return to Belarus.

"People are simply afraid to talk about such cases, fearing both Belarusian authorities and possible consequences in Poland."

Volha believes that Polish authorities may have an insufficiently complete picture of the real situation in Belarus.

"It is especially important to take into account that many repressed people do not appear on official lists of political prisoners by their own choice, so as not to worsen their situation in prisons.

These problems need to be spoken about publicly — in Belarusian and Polish media, as well as at the level of human rights and political organizations. Silence only makes the situation worse, because people are left without protection and do not know where to turn," the interlocutor emphasized.

Euroradio contacted the legal service of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for comment on the situation, as well as the Office for Foreigners in Warsaw. If we receive a response, we will continue the story.

/ automated translation