Hungarian court sentences Dutch human smuggler to over 4 years

A Hungarian court has sentenced a human smuggler holding Dutch citizenship but originally from Iraq to four years and four months in prison and the accused will be banned from Hungary for five years.

The sentence by the Debrecen court, in eastern Hungary, on Thursday can be appealed.

The person known as M.N. is accused of trying to smuggle Iraqi, Syrian and Iranian citizens to western Europe in a van.

The court has established that M.N. travelled to Romania to help citizens from third countries for financial gain and to transport them in Hungary after they crossed the Hungary-Romania border.

M.N. denies the charges and has lodged an appeal for his acquittal, stating that he had only picked up hitch-hikers near the village of Körösszegapáti, thinking that they were Hungarian workers.

Source: MTI