MONIKA BRYK
PHOTOJOURNALIST
Copyright © 2022 Monika Bryk. All rights reserved.
On May 4th, a hunger strike began in a closed center for foreigners in Lesznowola. It was attended by 10 Kurds who were detained by the Borger Guard in the forests of Podlasie while crossing the Polish-Belarusian border. The strikers demanded a transfer to an open center, access to independent psychologists, medical services and fair treatment. Some have been waiting for 8 months to be released. Some of these people are political refugees, political prisoners and people after the violence they experienced in their home country or in Belarus. Each subsequent day, each subsequent hour is a risk of their health and life - two people were hospitalized. Despite the parliamentary interventions, the Border Guard continues to pretend that the matter is not there. On the 33rd day of the hunger strike, activists organized a spontaneous solidarity demonstration to support and give hope to the striking Kurds. On the 35th day, the last people ended their hunger strike, some of them were allowed to leave the facility in the following days. Lesznowola, 05.06.2022
Independence March