Hungary's new border rules "alarming" - UNHCR

September 15, 2015 5:04 PM

Erno Simon, a spokesman for the UNHCR in Hungary, cited Hungary's decision to designate Serbia as a "safe third country" for refugees to be sent back to

Hungary's new border rules "alarming" - UNHCR

Elements of Hungary's new border rules are "really alarming", the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, expressing concern at the time devoted to assessing asylum seekers and their return to Serbia.

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Erno Simon, a spokesman for the UNHCR in Hungary, cited Hungary's decision to designate Serbia as a "safe third country" for refugees to be sent back to and criminal punishments for asylum seekers caught crossing the border illegally.

He also questioned Hungarian statements that authorities would deal with asylum requests in a matter of hours, which he described as a "very small period of time" for such complex cases, while denying them official access to the country. "There are many details of the new law, the new legislation, which are really alarming," Simon told Reuters.

Ben Bassey

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