Poland: General Skrzypczak talks about help in "deporting Ukrainians" from Poland
Photo. Dawid Żuchowicz / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
"The Polish government should help Kiev in the deportation of Ukrainians who are in exile - said General Waldemar Skrzypczak. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to this idea. "We are considering how we can support the Ukrainian side" - said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs..."
Source: gazeta.pl
General Waldemar Skrzypczak’s statements suggesting that the Polish government should assist in the deportation of Ukrainian refugees potentially violates the principle of non-refoulement, which is a fundamental aspect of international refugee law as established by the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. This principle strictly prohibits the forced return of refugees to countries where they are at risk of facing persecution, serious harm, or threats to their life or freedom.
The general’s call for the deportation of Ukrainian refugees, specifically targeting them based on their nationality and potentially their gender, disregards this international legal standard. The principle of non-refoulement is obligatory for all countries, irrespective of their ratification status of the Refugee Convention, and aims to protect the rights and safety of individuals fleeing conflict and persecution.
Furthermore, such discriminatory treatment towards Ukrainian refugees, as opposed to individuals from other conflict-affected regions like the Middle East or Africa, could also be seen as a breach of the principles of equality and non-discrimination, which are core to international human rights law. These principles are enshrined in various international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Poland is a party.