Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, centre, accompanied by Secretary of State of the Ministry of Interior Karoly Kontrat, left, and regional Director of the Migration Office Jozsef Seres, right, inspects the enlarged transit zone set up for migrants at the Hungary's southern border with Serbia near Tompa, 169 kms southeast of Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, April 6, 2017. (Sandor Ujvari/MTI via AP)
April 06, 2017 - 6:20 AM
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Hungary's interior minister says a police officer has been fired for abusing migrants, the first such decision after repeated reports by human rights advocates about cases of ill-treatment.
Interior Minister Sandor Pinter did not provide details of the dismissal. Until now, the government had said that investigations have not confirmed any instances of abuse by police despite several reports by groups like Doctors Without Borders and Human Rights Watch.
On Thursday, Pinter visited a newly expanded container camp on the border with Serbia, where all asylum-seekers older than 14 have to wait for a decision on their asylum requests.
The measure is part of new rules in place since March 21 meant to complement razor-wire fences Hungary built on the Serbian and Croatian borders to stop the flow of migrants.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017