Poland abandons plan to criminalise aid to illegal migrants after backlash
Poland’s interior ministry withdrew a draft amendment that would have made providing humanitarian assistance to undocumented migrants punishable by up to three years in prison.
The interior ministry had suggested an amendment that would penalise anyone who knowingly enabled the illegal stay of migrants, even without financial gain, with a prison term of up to three years. Deputy interior minister Czesław Mroczek argued the change was needed to close a loophole exploited by smugglers. NGOs such as Amnesty International, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation warned the wording threatened volunteers, medical staff and lawyers providing aid.
The Left’s Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk and human-rights commissioner Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram also voiced strong opposition. After the outcry, the ministry retracted the proposal, saying it wanted to prevent doubts and protect humanitarian activities while still targeting organised crime.
Why it matters
The reversal prevents volunteers from facing jail for helping migrants, preserving humanitarian aid at a contentious border.
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