DOZENS of people are being pushed back at the Lithuanian and Latvian borders with Belarus and left to fend for themselves in the snowy forested area for weeks, an international humanitarian organisation warned today.

Thousands of people from Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere have tried to find safety in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia since last year, when the Belarusian government began flying asylum-seekers into the country and encouraged them to make the crossing.

Border guards in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have been accused of forcing people back through the fences to Belarus, leaving them without shelter, sufficient food, water and clothing.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) added its voice today to the growing allegations made by other NGOs, activists and politicians operating in the area.

“Fourteen people, including children, had to be admitted to the hospital in recent weeks,” said Georgina Brown, MSF’s project co-ordinator in Lithuania and Latvia.

“Several people needed limb amputations, and for some patients it is still unclear if their limbs can be saved. This is preventable and totally unacceptable. People will die if nothing changes.

“A young man told me he spent a week in the forest. When the border guards caught him, his feet hurt so much he was crying.

“He showed them the bad condition of his feet, but they still pushed him back. Now he had to undergo an amputation.”

MSF called on the Lithuanian and Latvian authorities to put an end to the hostile policy, “which are deliberately creating unsafe conditions for people who seek safety and further increasing their suffering.”

At least 27 people have died at the Lithuanian and Latvian borders with Belarus, although the real number might be higher.