Poland passes legislation allowing migrant pushbacks at border

Polish Army soldiers are seen in front of the Border Guard headquarters in Michalowo, Poland October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's parliament passed legislation on Thursday that human rights advocates say aims to legalise pushbacks of migrants across its borders in breach of the country's commitments under international law.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have reported sharp increases in migrants from countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq trying to cross their frontiers from Belarus, in what Warsaw and Brussels say is a form of hybrid warfare designed to put pressure on the EU over sanctions it imposed on Minsk.