Hungary releases hundreds of imprisoned people smugglers, causing diplomatic trouble. Austria is now summoning the Hungarian ambassador and wants to tighten its borders with its neighbors.
The release of imprisoned people smugglers in Hungary leads to diplomatic tensions with neighboring Austria. Hungary’s ambassador in Vienna was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, as Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced in Brussels. “We want full clarification here because we think that’s a completely wrong signal,” said Schallenberg.
Prisoners are too expensive for Hungary
The Hungarian government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban had previously ordered the release of foreign prisoners who are in prison for smuggling.
Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyás provided the reason for this. Accordingly, the Hungarian prisoners are too expensive. “The prisons are overcrowded – and there are trials against us in Strasbourg. Releasing them is the right decision so that we don’t continue to feed several hundred people smugglers Hungarian prison food at the expense of Hungarian taxpayers,” said Gulyás. The only condition is that the released prisoners leave Hungary within three days.
What Gulyás is alluding to are trials against Hungarians for inhumane conditions in the country’s prisons. In individual cases, the Hungarian state had to pay compensation. In addition, there are concerns in the EU about deporting criminals to countries such as Afghanistan or Iran.
The inmates in the Hungarian prisons are said to come from 73 countries, from Afghanistan to Algeria, Iran, Iraq and Tunisia, but also from European countries such as Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Austria announces tightened border controls at
The Austrian government cannot understand Hungary’s arguments. The fact that the detention of these foreigners is too expensive is “in diametrically opposed to Hungary’s seemingly clear line” against smuggling, said Foreign Minister Schallenberg. Austria’s Ministry of the Interior had already announced at the weekend that it would tighten controls on the border with Hungary in response to the releases.
Irregular migration via the Balkan route to Austria mainly leads via Hungary. The Austrian police have so far been supporting Hungarian officials in the fight against organized people smugglers. According to the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna, however, this cooperation is now being put to the test.
With information from Wolfgang Vichtl, ARD Studio Southeast Europe