Hungary fails to deport families to Afghanistan

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Hungary fails to deport families to Afghanistan

By Nick Thorpe
Eastern Europe Correspondent

8 May 2019

Hungary tried and failed to deport three Afghan families to Afghanistan on Tuesday, in a move that rights groups say is a breach of international law.

It was intended to prove the right-wing Fidesz government's resolve to fight what it calls "illegal migrants".

However, the European Court of Human Rights intervened in one family's case.

The mother of the second family fainted and was taken to hospital, while the third chose to be deported to nearby Serbia rather than Afghanistan.

The hardline stance by Fidesz comes ahead of elections to the European Parliament later this month.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48198645

[Eugene]

1. Hungary forces 11 Afghan asylum-seekers into Serbia: rights body

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MAY 8, 2019 / 3:30 PM / UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

Hungary forces 11 Afghan asylum-seekers into Serbia: rights body

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary forced 11 Afghan nationals to cross into Serbia after rejecting their asylum requests, a rights advocate said on Wednesday, and deported a 12th convicted of people smuggling back to Kabul.

The deportation of a further five Afghans, all members of the same family, was temporarily suspended following an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights group.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said Hungary’s action to force the two families to leave the country was “a flagrant violation of international and EU law”.

Under Hungarian law, the claims of asylum-seekers arriving from a country that Hungary deems safe are rejected, the agency said in a statement, adding that the case highlighted “deep concerns” over that practice.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-hungary-deportations/hungary-forces-11-afghan-asylum-seekers-into-serbia-rights-body-idUSKCN1SE2JW