Asurma Arab fled Afghanistan to seek safety in Europe with her family. Over two years later she remains stranded in Serbia, her family torn apart. On the last attempt to cross the border, her husband and oldest daughter managed to get past Croatian guards, leaving Asurma and three younger children behind.
Hungary's refugee and migrant policies have been in breach of international human rights conventions as well as EU regulation for years. Along the country's border with Serbia there's now a new, underreported trend affecting migrants: deliberate starvation.
New statistics show that Hungary, led by right-wing Premier Viktor Orban, is granting work permits to a growing number of foreigners. Experts say this dichotomy amid the government's anti-immigration propaganda leaves some Hungarians disoriented.
Two Afghan families were forced to leave Hungary and return to Serbia this week after their asylum claims were rejected. The chief of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has spoken out about the expulsion of the Afghans - among them a pregnant woman - calling it "a serious violation of international law."
The leader of the National Rally party in France, Marine Le Pen, was in Brussels on Sunday to support the far-right Flemish party Vlaams Belang. At the same time, she extended her hand towards Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party and Poland’s PiS (Law and Justice) party. Is a block of anti-migrant parties growing in Europe?
Italy’s deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was in Budapest on Thursday to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The two leaders discussed how to forge a common European pact to combat migration on the continent and succeed in the European elections.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban praised Serbia for having accepted a border barrier between the two countries. The Hungarian government erected the barrier to stem the continual flow of unauthorized migrants into Hungary, and Orban said Serbia also benefits.
"The global assault on NGOs has reached a crisis point," human rights organization Amnesty International claims. The organisation criticizes Hungary in particular; they believe the Orban government is harassing organizations that support migrants and refugees.
European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker has said Viktor Orban's political party does not belong in his center-right EPP group. Orban's party has accused Juncker and the EU of purposely weakening Hungary's borders.
A human rights organization in Hungary has renewed allegations that Hungarian authorities are leaving asylum seekers without food for long periods of time in order to convince them to give up on asylum claims and leave the country. When the Hungarian Helsinki Committee first made the accusation six months ago, Hungary denied the claim.
Hungary's Viktor Orban hopes a right-wing alliance can help gain an anti-migrant majority in the European Parliament. The alliance was pitched by Italy's Matteo Salvini, whom Orban described as a "hero."
Italy passed the "Salvini decree," clamping down on asylum rights, and refused to grant entry to rescue ships. Greece struggled – and failed – to provide adequate accommodation on Samos and Lesbos. Meanwhile, Hungary effectively banned helping asylum seekers. 2018 was not an easy year for migrants and refugees. We sum up the biggest developments of the year.