Das Erste: Austria will not forgive Budapest amnesty for the organizers of the importation of migrants

Tensions have arisen between Austria and Hungary over the release of foreign prisoners convicted of smuggling illegal migrants from outside the European Union, Das Erste reports. The Austrian Foreign Office summoned the Hungarian Ambassador to Vienna and demanded clarification on this decision. Alexander Schallenberg, head of the Austrian department, called this action “completely the wrong signal.”

The decision to grant an amnesty to foreign prisoners was taken by the Hungarian government under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Gergely Gulyash, head of the prime minister’s office, explained the decision, noting that keeping prisoners is too expensive for Hungary, which is facing overcrowding in prisons and trials in Strasbourg. According to him, the release of prisoners is the right decision, so as not to burden Hungarian taxpayers with the content of smugglers. However, the release implies a condition – the prisoners must leave Hungary within three days.

Hungarian prisons hold prisoners from 73 countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq and Tunisia, as well as from a number of European countries, including Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

The Austrian government does not share the arguments of Hungary and considers that the release of prisoners is contrary to the principles of combating illegal migration.