All reports on migrant murders on border should be investigated by Poland: UNHCR

It is up to Polish authorities to investigate all claims made by a defected Polish soldier concerning the murders of migrants on the border with Belarus, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Senior Communications Officer Katerina Kitidi told Sputnik.

"We are aware of the media reports about a Polish soldier crossing the border to Belarus and about the allegations he has made. However, it is up to the concerned national authorities to investigate the reported incidents," Kitidi said.

On Thursday, a group of Belarusian border guards detained Polish soldier Emil Ciecko at the Tushemlya frontier post. The soldier admitted to being part of the Polish Border Guard and requested political asylum in Belarus in protest of what he described as the harsh treatment of refugees amassing at the common border, including killings of migrants and two volunteers assisting migrants in the area.

On Friday, Ciecko told Belarusian media that he witnessed two cases of Polish troops killing volunteers who tried to help migrants at the border. Polish Interior Ministry described the accusation about the murder of volunteers as "a story made of cardboard." (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor