Almost 26 years since the day, in 1989, when Hungary opened its borders to citizens of East Germany, heralding the collapse of the Iron Curtain, those same barriers are being closed. In a desperate effort to stem the flow of asylum seekers fleeing war zones in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond, the Hungarian government deployed flanks of police and soldiers wielding automatic weapons to patrol its border with Serbia, assisted by a 110-mile long newly constructed barbed-wire fence.
According to new legislation effective from Tuesday, entering Hungary illegally will constitute a criminal act, potentially punishable by a prison sentence of up to three years. This afternoon police closed the unofficial crossing along a train track between the Serbian village of Horgos and Roszke in Hungary, a route previously popular with refugees. » | Andrew Connelly | Roszke | Monday, September 14, 2015
