Hungary may declare ‘state of emergency’ over refugee crisis
The Hungarian government may declare “a state of crisis” as thousands of refugees make their way to Hungary to reach Germany and other countries.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, Janos Lazar, told a weekly news conference on Thursday that the proposal to declare a state of crisis will be the first item to be discussed at a government meeting on September 15.
The proposal comes as Hungary is constructing a fence along its border with Serbia in a bid to stem the influx of refugees and asylum seekers after tens of thousands of people, mostly from Daesh-infested areas, entered the country in recent months.
Last Friday, Hungary’s parliament also passed a series of “emergency” laws to control the flow of refugees into the country, giving police more authority and setting out strict punishments, including prison terms for illegal border crossing.
The new laws make crossing or damaging the border fence under construction a criminal offence.
More than 160,000 refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa have entered Hungary this year on their way to richer European Union states, mainly Germany.
Meanwhile, Austria has also suspended cross-border train services to and from Hungary, leaving refugees stranded.
Europe is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis, which has escalated over the summer as refugees are coming directly to the continent instead of staying in camps in neighboring countries.
The continent is now divided over how to deal with the flood of people, mainly Syrians fleeing the four-year foreign-backed militancy in their homeland.
On Wednesday, Amnesty International lashed out at European countries over their mishandling of the crisis.
“The response to the refugee crisis in Europe has been piecemeal and incoherent at a time when the need for clear-sighted leadership and radical reform of Europe's collapsing asylum system has never been greater," said John Dalhuisen, the director of the Amnesty International for Europe and Central Asia.
He added that “the level of suffering facing refugees fleeing violence and human rights violations has reached a level unseen in Europe since the Second World War.”
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