Poland’s Supreme Court has condemned the country’s government for preventing journalists from accessing the border with Belarus.
Judges said the ban was “incompatible” with current Polish law, according to a decision seen by AFP.
Dozens of journalists were barred from reporting on the border crisis last year when thousands of migrants attempted to cross from Belarus into the European Union.
The Polish government has built a barbed wire fence and mustered thousands of troops along the 400 kilometer long Belarusian border.
Warsaw also declared a state of emergency in September, preventing journalists and humanitarian organizations from accessing the border region for security reasons.
On Tuesday, Poland’s Supreme Court said the country’s constitution guarantees both “freedom of movement” and “freedom to collect and disseminate information”.
“There is no justification for admitting that this particular professional group poses a threat to the measures taken,” the judges said.
Some reporters had filed complaints in court after being arrested by police after mistakenly entering the prohibited area.
Meanwhile, NGOs had also condemned Poland for preventing aid from reaching migrants who were trapped between the two countries in freezing temperatures.
Poland’s top court also said it opposes “any restrictions on the protection of human dignity, life and humanitarian treatment”.
