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PHOTO: © Tomas Rafa
The Hungarian government has invested more than 100 million euros in barbed wire fencing and border controls to keep out refugees and migrants, triple the amount it spends each year on receiving applicants asylum, Amnesty International revealed in a new briefing released today.
The briefing, Fence, highlights how Hungary’s draconian measures to control its borders have repeatedly violated international law. As EU ministers gather in Luxembourg today for high-level meetings to discuss the crisis, Amnesty International is calling on the EU to hold Hungary to account for its human rights failings and to protect people on the move by creating safer legal routes before winter sets in. .
“Hungary is just a few coils of barbed wire away from completely closing its borders with Croatia and Serbia. Even those who manage to slip through the keyhole are almost certain to be sent back to Balkan transit countries,” said
Hungary is just a few coils of barbed wire away from completely closing its borders with Croatia and Serbia. Even those who manage to slip through the keyhole are almost certain to be sent back to transit countries in the Balkans.
John Dalhusien, Amnesty International Director for Europe and Central Asia
“Hungary is turning into a no-protection zone for refugees, in blatant disregard of its human rights obligations and the clear need to work with other EU countries and Balkans to find collective and human solutions to the current crisis,” said John Dalhuisen.
The combination of building barbed wire fences and criminalizing those who cross and enter the country irregularly, as well as the rush to send them back to transit countries in the Balkans, aims to isolate Hungary from the global crisis and European Union of Refugees. This comes at the expense of respect for human rights.
Amnesty International calls on Member States and EU institutions to prevent a further escalation of human rights violations in Hungary by activating the prevention mechanism provided for in Article 7(1) of the Treaty on European Union. The mechanism allows the European Council to issue a warning to member states when there is “a clear risk of serious violation” of respect for the rule of law and human rights.
“The EU has the power to trigger formal discussions with Hungary over its appalling treatment of refugees and migrants and send a clear message: “Enough is enough” to states that fail to respect EU law and international. The EU should do this before it is too late,” said Iverna McGowan, Acting Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.
“The review of the human rights situation in Hungary has repeatedly fallen through the cracks, with member states and institutions constantly placing the blame on who is ultimately responsible for respecting human rights. man in the EU. This gap must be urgently closed with a stronger response to human rights violations committed by both Member States and EU institutions.
Amnesty International relied on testimonies and observations compiled during extensive research carried out in the country in September. Researchers examined police treatment of refugees and migrants, reception conditions, as well as the application of new restrictions on access to asylum in the country.
Hungary’s parliament introduced new laws that prompted an aggressive response, including flanking its borders with soldiers and police authorized to use rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and pyrotechnic devices. Armored vehicles equipped with machine guns and soldiers armed with special forces-style firearms have been positioned along the border with Croatia.
Testimonies reveal repeated use of excessive force by Hungarian authorities.
Hiba, a 32-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker, suffered a broken thigh after being pushed by a Hungarian police officer against a wall at a Budapest train station.
“I have been living in uncertainty and stress for months,” said Hiba, now in Germany. “We are now waiting for a decision on our asylum application, but people (other asylum seekers) are telling us that we risk being rejected and sent back to Hungary and then to Iraq. But we cannot under any circumstances return to Tikrit, it is not safe.
Other new laws allowed Hungary to place Serbia on a list of safe countries of origin and transit, to which asylum seekers must now be returned, without taking into account the serious obstacles they face to access protection in this country. Refugees and asylum seekers who enter irregularly are also subject to criminal prosecution, in violation of international human rights law.
The briefing details the pitiful humanitarian response from the Hungarian authorities, with a complete lack of adequate reception facilities. In the absence of essential supplies such as food and tents, refugees and asylum seekers massed at Budapest’s main train stations, Keleti, Nyugati and Deli, have had to rely on support provided largely by volunteers and donations.
“I want to start a new life in peace… They treat us like animals, worse than animals,” said Dina, a 46-year-old Syrian woman who was taken into police custody and kept for 16 hours without food or food. water. . “It prevents us from staying here. We feel that we are not welcome.
The briefing paper highlights the huge disparity between the bulk of anti-immigration spending and the budget for processing asylum applications. Some €98 million was invested in the border barrier between Hungary and Serbia, at least three times the Office of Immigration and Nationality’s budget of €27.5 million for 2015.
“The cost of these heinous anti-refugee operations is staggering and comes at the expense of the rights, health and well-being of thousands of people,” said John Dalhuisen.
“This money would be invested much more wisely to save lives and improve the future. It is time for all EU member states to urgently invest in a compassionate and coordinated solution.”
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