The four-day protest, which took place from September 5-9, saw migrants taking a stand against ongoing "arbitrary detention" at the hands of the Polish authorities. Speaking to Euronews, Zuzanna Kaciupska, a lawyer at the Association for Legal Intervention, characterized the strike as potentially one of the most substantial protests of its kind in Polish detention facilities.

The protest, involving up to 70 of the 100 detainees in Przemysl, was a desperate attempt by the detainees to end their prolonged detention. Grupa Granica, an organization assisting migrants in Poland, reported that this strike marked "the biggest protest so far in Polish detention centers."

In a statement on its Facebook page, the group said that the protesting migrants had called for "respect for their rights and dignity and to stop the use of mental and physical violence against them."

Poor conditions and uncertainty

Since the escalation at the Polish-Belarusian border in 2021, migrants have been held in detention centers in Poland and are often deported from there. In June, InfoMigrants reported that Germany requested the return of a total of 1,878 people to Poland this year under the Dublin Agreement, despite the deprivation of liberty and the conditions in these facilities.

Detainees at Przemysl have faced prolonged stays marked by uncertainty about their eventual release or deportation. European Union regulations allow for the detention of migrants for up to six months, with the possibility of extending this period to 18 months in exceptional cases.

Przemysl's detention center, once accommodating migrants of all genders and ages, was transformed into a men-only facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by the EU Agency for Asylum.

Also read: Group of migrants stuck along Polish-Belarusian border

Strikers demand dignity and healthcare

Some of the hunger strikers in Przemysl resorted to abstaining from both food and fluids, an extreme measure that posed a heightened risk to their lives. Euronews reached out to the Polish Border Guard department overseeing the Przemysl center for comment but has yet to receive a response. Reportedly, the department previously confirmed to Balkan Insight that "several dozen residents" were participating in the strike.

On September 6, just one day into the strike, only "three of all the inmates" attended breakfast, according to Grupa Granica, which has maintained contact with detainees.

The migrants called for basic rights, such as access to medical and mental health care and the ability to connect with their loved ones through social media. The protest took place in response to an incident in late July where a resident attempted suicide, according to Grupa Granica.

'Unprecedented' political activism

Grupa Granica emphasized the unprecedented nature of political activism displayed by migrant detainees. It declared on social media: "Let us remind you. This is the first such common hunger strike in detention centers for foreigners. It has never happened that almost all the detained people joined the protest."

The German organization Seebrücke International tweeted that the protest is the "largest collective hunger strike of refugees in Poland so far".

On the messaging app Telegram, the Polish grassroots group No Borders Team Poland announced that a solidarity rally was held in front of the prison on Sunday.

In an interview with Balkan Insight, one of the protesters stated: "This is about freedom, not about the quality of the food in the canteen...It is about us being detained here, without having any idea when we will be released, or what will happen to us in future. Some of the people have already had two birthdays since they [have been shut in] here."

Challenges and Concerns

In Poland, migrants are often detained while awaiting the processing of their asylum applications or deportation orders. Kaciupska told Euronews that these detention centers resemble prisons. She also highlighted the challenges migrants face in understanding the procedures surrounding their asylum requests. Language barriers and uncertainty about the duration of detention contribute to the migrants' sense of feeling "lost".

Furthermore, migrants have voiced concerns about Polish authorities not considering their individual circumstances when deciding on detention.

Kaciupska pointed out that "Polish law says that migrants who are victims of violence should not be placed in detention centers, but very often the court or the border guards don't check that," citing instances where detainees recount experiencing violence in their home countries or at the border.

Also read: Poland unveils referendum on EU migrant policy

Clashes at the Przemysl detention center

The Association for Legal Intervention and Grupa Granica confirmed that the Przemysl hunger strike came to an abrupt end on September 9. According to No Borders Team Poland, masked men stormed into the cells at the detention center and beat people with sticks a day earlier, on September 8.

The strike's termination came as a result of reports of two stabbings within the Przemysl detention center, with officers attempting to forcibly remove the protesters, according to Grupa Granica.

Official reports cited by the organization allege that protesters threw chairs at officers, while protesters claim that they only resorted to such actions after being attacked by officers wielding batons. One protester was hospitalized and others were taken into custody, the migrants themselves reported.

Last year a group of around 100 migrants, took part in a hunger strike over conditions in the Polish reception center in Wędrzyn. Several months later there was another hunger strike at a closed center south of Warsaw.

Smaller-scale hunger strikes are reportedly ongoing in Krosno Odrzański, involving two individuals, and Kętrzyn, where one person has been refusing food since mid-August, Grupa Granica said on social media.

According to Grupa Granica, in the first half of 2023, only a total of 1,008 migrants were referred to Poland's detention centers, including 56 minors.

Also read: Deaths mount at Polish border as authorities defend migrant expulsions