Many people convicted of people smuggling are in Hungarian prisons. In a surprising action, Hungary is now releasing hundreds of them – almost without conditions. That causes trouble.
Hungary is releasing hundreds of foreign prisoners convicted of people smuggling from its prisons. Many had been sentenced to several years in prison – they often smuggled people in a life-threatening manner. There are always dead and injured on the Balkan route, which also runs through Hungary.
According to the first rumour, several thousand prisoners were suddenly to be released. The last known number was 700, which are now actually being released. A total of around 2,600 foreign nationals are being held in Hungarian prisons, most of them for smuggling. Many of them asked themselves on phone chains, “Am I in?”
perpetrator of refrigerated truck disaster remain in custody
The smugglers, who are mainly to blame for the deaths of 71 refugees in a refrigerated truck, must have asked themselves the same question. The truck was discovered eight years ago on a motorway in Austria, it was on its way to Germany. The perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment – not only for smuggling, but also for murder. Contrary to what was initially assumed, they remain in prison: the release decree issued by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sets an upper limit of five years in prison.
Prisoners are too expensive for Hungary
The dismissal action is interesting because at first glance it doesn’t fit in with the otherwise harsh stance of the Orbán government against people-smuggling. It is not an amnesty, but a political decision – also against the EU.
The reason given by Orbán’s “Chancellery Minister” Gergely Gulyás: The prisoners are too expensive for Hungary. “The prisons are overcrowded – and there are trials against us in Strasbourg – so that we should continue to spend money on these prisoners. Releasing them is the right decision, so that we no longer feed several hundred people smugglers Hungarian prison food at the expense of Hungarian taxpayers,” said Gulyás.
Released almost unconditionally
What Gulyás is alluding to are trials against Hungary for inhumane conditions in its prisons. In individual cases, Budapest 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. Many could therefore be deported to their countries of origin.
But now the smugglers are apparently being released in small groups. The only condition: leave Hungary within 72 hours. They do not have to serve out their remaining sentences in their home countries.
Austria’s Interior Minister is irritated
András Nemény is the mayor of the town of Szombathely, near the Austrian border. In his city, too, offenders were released early. He is worried: “It’s not good at all that the criminals are now moving freely in the city. And it’s not at all unimportant what they do here in the 72 hours. It’s a problem.”
Austria’s Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner, is also concerned. He usually works closely with the Hungarian authorities, but he was probably surprised here too. Karner calls for clarification so that “possible countermeasures” can be prepared — and emphasizes the fact that Hungary is releasing criminals who endanger human lives with their “brutal acts.”