Hungary has rejected remarks made by the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe, and insisted that Hungary enforces rather than violates international rules by “only allowing those to enter that abide by the law”.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, made the comments after Council of Europe Commissioner Nils Muizniek claimed Hungary sets a "bad example" for Europe.
In an interview, Muiznieks said that under Hungary’s new migrant regulations all illegal entrants, including women and children, would be automatically detained, which is against European human rights conventions and would also set a “bad example” for the whole region.
Muiznieks recalled a visit to Hungary 18 months ago, when he said he had seen asylum-seekers chained together and “treated as the worst criminals”.
In response, Minister Szijjártó said that Muiznieks “does not like Hungary” and “has been making false claims” about the country for years. “He is into the human rights of everybody, but he is not interested in the right of Hungarians to security," he added.