ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has shown shock and alarm at the way that refugees are being treated on the border of Hungary and Serbia, saying Wednesday at a news conference that they deserve to be treated with dignity and their human rights should be accepted.
Ban’s comments follow Hungarian police firing tear gas and a water cannon at refugees trying to break through a razor-wire fence from the Serbian border town of Horgos into Hungary.
Ban said at the news conference: "I was shocked to see how these refugees and migrants were treated, it's not acceptable."
“I salute leaders and citizens in many other countries, including Germany, Sweden and Austria, for opening doors and showing solidarity. I am also grateful for the financial generosity of many countries in addressing the humanitarian consequences, in particular the United Kingdom and Kuwait,” Ban added.
"All the countries have their domestic problems, but since they are the people fleeing the wars and persecutions, then we must show our compassionate leadership. First and foremost we have to provide life-saving assistance and shelter and sanitation, then we can discuss how they should be treated, accommodated," Ban continued.
"We fled wars and violence and did not expect such brutality and inhumane treatment in Europe,” Iraqi migrant Amir Hassan told the BBC from Horgos.
However, Hungary has defended its actions, claiming that 20 police officers were injured in clashes with the migrants at the border between Hungary and Serbia, the BBC reported.
For his part, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic accused Hungary of being "brutal" and "non-European."
On Tuesday, Hungary declared a state of emergency in two of its southern counties near the Serbian border in response to the ongoing refugee crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern and African migrants seeking to enter the EU country, often with the intent of passing on to wealthier countries like Germany, France and England in Western Europe to seek asylum.
