Polish president signs tough law restricting asylum rights

Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed a law that allows for authorities to temporarily suspend the right of migrants to apply for asylum under emergency conditions, citing the need to strengthen the border with Belarus.

Under the new law, in the event of a border emergency, the government could issue a decree to suspend the right of a migrant to ask for asylum for up to 60 days.

Poland considers its eastern border with Belarus to be in a state of emergency, as thousands of migrants attempt to cross the heavily fortified frontier with what Warsaw describes as active support from Belarusian authorities.

Duda called on Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government to quickly issue a decree to implement the law.

As Tusk supported the law's passage, he was expected to do so as soon as Wednesday night.

Poland and the European Union accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ally Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of bringing migrants from crisis regions to the EU's external border in a deliberate manner to exert pressure on the West.