Refugees cut fence between Hungary and Serbia, arrests begin

A group of refugees cut the fence on the border between Hungary and Serbia this morning, and 16 of them were immediately taken into custody by the police, making them the first group of refugees to be subject to the new law on the state border, reports the Patria news agency.

As reported by Hungarian state television M1, the group of refugees cut the barbed wire and breached the fence near the Reske-Horgos crossing, after which they entered Hungary.

The police immediately arrested 16 of them, and this is the first group of refugees to be subject to the new, stricter law on the state border, which came into effect at midnight and, among other things, provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for those who illegally cross the border.

The border itself is also physically closed, as after the construction of the fence, the last passage used by refugees was closed, namely the Subotica-Szeged railway line, on which a wagon with barbed wire was placed yesterday afternoon, Serbian media report.