THE Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) has called for urgent clarification over reports of an alleged massacre of refugees by Polish soldiers on the Belarusian border. 

Media reports have circulated detailing what the communists said was “a horrific crime committed by Polish soldiers by executing and secretly burying 135 Iraqi refugees on the Polish side of the border.”

A Belarusian commission of inquiry is said to have revealed details of the alleged killings and submitted their findings to a delegation of Iraqi officials. 

No statement has been made by the Iraqi government so far and efforts to reach it were unsuccessful today.

But Iraqi lawmaker Khaled al-Obaidi, a member of the parliament’s defence and security committee, demanded an urgent government inquiry. 

“If the information disclosed by the Belarusian authorities turned true, it should be deemed crimes against humanity and Iraq shall internationalise it.

“Such information might have a huge impact on the future of the Iraqi diplomatic ties with certain countries,” he said.

There has been no official comment from the Polish government regarding the allegations.  

The claims were said to emanate from a report by the Investigative Committee of Belarus, an official body that reports to President Alexander Lukashenko.

“Belarusian investigators have documented criminal actions committed against 135 Iraqi citizens, who were physically injured in the violence used against them by Polish security forces,” a statement on its website read.

It appears to relate to the situation that unfolded on the border of the two countries earlier this year when Iraqi refugees were subjected to what has been described as “illegal pushbacks” by Polish soldiers. 

The Morning Star was unable to independently verify claims of the killings. 

The Investigative Committee of Belarus has been contacted for comment.

ICP spokesman Ali Sahib said that if the reports are true then “we are facing a mass execution condemned in accordance with all international norms, conventions and human values.”

“This disturbing information calls for urgent action by the [Iraqi] government and the House of Representatives to uncover the facts and present them to the Iraqi public,” he said.

“If confirmed, we must work hard to prosecute and prosecute the perpetrators of the massacre in accordance with international law.”

He said that the Iraqi government cannot simply ignore the claims and called on “the United Nations and other international institutions and bodies to find out the truth and details of this heinous crime.”

The International Criminal Court will start to investigate the statements of the Belarusian committee in February 2023.