Human rights under attack: mass deportations and the crisis of justice
At midnight on March 27, a decree signed by Polish President Andrzej Duda came into force, temporarily restricting the right to apply for international protection at the country’s border with Belarus.
Such processes do not occur in a vacuum: just days ago, reports surfaced that over the past two months, 1,300 foreign nationals have been deported from Poland—85% more than a year ago. This issue cannot be discussed without acknowledging the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the cornerstone of modern human rights protection. Adopted in 1948, it was a response to the horrors of World War II—not just the casualties of battle, but the consequences of ideologies of hatred, as promoted by the Third Reich and other fascist regimes.
The twisted ideas of racial superiority that formed the foundation of Nazi Germany ultimately led to genocide. Death camps were established with a singular goal: to exterminate "undesirable" people. To be fair, the Soviet Union, in terms of repression and elimination of "inconvenient" individuals, even surpassed the Reich in many ways. By 1948, upon realizing the full extent of the atrocities, the world was horrified. The chilling words of the defendants at the Nuremberg Trials, who described the mass murder of children by saying "We were just following orders," still haunt history.
It was then that people of good conscience remembered that blind obedience to laws and authority cannot be the sole guiding principle. Beyond legal positivism lies the concept of natural rights—fundamental rights that every person possesses by virtue of being human, which no authority can take away. And now, in March 2025, we are witnessing these core principles of the UDHR being trampled once again in the name of political interests.
In a European country, people are being arrested and deported without trial, despite the fact that they may face persecution or death in their home countries. They are denied the right to seek refuge from dictatorship and religious extremism. But these rights, enshrined in the UDHR, were fought for by generations before us:
The right to legal protection (Article 7 UDHR)
Freedom from discrimination based on origin (Article 2 UDHR)
Protection against unlawful arrest and deportation (Article 9 UDHR)
The right to a fair trial (Article 10 UDHR)
Hundreds, even thousands of people are being stripped of these rights right now—and yet, they remain invisible to the majority. They are denied access to court, with authorities citing "classified information" labeled by security services as a "threat to national security." The world clearly recognizes the overt threats of war, but the more subtle attack on the fundamental values of democratic society may go unnoticed.
By manipulating thousands of human lives, fostering fear and violence at borders, escalating conflicts—autocrats strike at something even more crucial: our belief in human rights.
The human rights initiative Dissidentby strongly condemns mass deportations that violate fundamental human rights.
If you have experienced such a situation or know of similar cases—please contact human rights organizations, advocacy groups, or legal professionals. Help is available.
1. Цэнтр Беларускай Салідарнасці (ЦБС)
📍 Варшава
🔗 https://belaruscenter.eu
📞 +48 662 200 400
Дапамога: юрыдычная падтрымка, кансультацыі па легалізацыі, падтрымка рэпрэсаваных.
2. Free Belarus Center
📍 Варшава
🔗 https://freebelaruscenter.org
📞 https://t.me/freebelaruscenter
Дапамога: юрыдычная і сацыяльная дапамога людзям, якія вымушаны былі пакінуць Беларусь.
3. Беларускі Дом у Варшаве (Białoruski Dom)
📍 Варшава
🔗 https://belaruskidom.eu
📞 +48 695 807 059
Дапамога: адвакацыя і гуманітарная дапамога.
4. Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka
🔗 https://www.hfhr.pl/
📞 +48 22 556 44 40, +48 789 065 118
5. Fundacja Ocalenie
🔗 https://ocalenie.org.pl/
📞 +48 22 828 04 50
6. Stowarzyszenie Interwencji Prawnej
🔗 https://interwencjaprawna.pl/
📞 +48 880 145 372
7. Refugee.pl (Fundacja Polskie Forum Migracyjne)
🔗 https://refugee.pl/
📞 +48 23 534 520 00
8. Salam Lab
9. Fundacja Otwarty Dialog
10. Fundacja Nasz Wybór
🔗 https://naszwybor.org.pl
📞 +48 727 805 764