London (CNN)Thousands of refugees and migrants, most fleeing violence in the Middle East, mass at the sealed-off border, chanting "Open! Open!" They are desperate to cross into Hungary, but a razor-wire fence, temporary blockade and a line of riot police stand in their way.
As tensions escalate, one voice rises above the fray: A balding, bearded man, wearing a black and white tracksuit top, attempts to negotiate with the officers. "Nobody will make any problem to your country," he tells the officers at Horgos, near the town of Roszke, using a loudspeaker. "Nobody will make any problem to any policeman. You must understand this -- we come here for peace, just to pass."
Hungary has been heavily criticized for its tough immigration measures since shuttering its border last September. In addition to erecting an anti-refugee fence, the country has also criminalized the act of entering Hungary illegally -- a law that breaches international asylum treaties and under which Ahmed H. was convicted. Hungary has also started recruiting for 3,000 new "border hunters" to patrol the frontier with the police and army. Orban championed a campaign asking Hungarians to reject EU migrant quotas for the country in a controversial referendum in October. A government-financed booklet distributed to Hungarian households as part of the campaign reportedly linked migration to increased terrorism. Orban ultimately hailed the country's referendum as a victory, despite a low voter turnout that rendered its result invalid.
Appeal for harsher sentence The Prime Minister's communications office told CNN in an email: "We do not wish to comment on ongoing cases, only after a final judgment was made," adding "please remember that it was not the Government but the independent Hungarian judiciary that
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made this decision based on sound and video recordings as well as testimonies." Ahmed H. was captured in photographs and footage by a number of other news agencies on September 16, 2015 -- one day after the Hungary-Serbia border was closed. Dozens of police officers, migrants and some journalists were injured in the violence on the same day. A video filmed by the Kremlin-backed broadcaster Russia Today shows Ahmed H. shaking his finger at riot police, saying, "No, no," before violence broke out. Other footage, broadcast by Spain's TVE, shows him standing between police and a crowd of women and children. He can be heard telling reporters: "We want only peace." Both the prosecution and defense intend to appeal the verdict. The defense is seeking an acquittal, while the prosecution is hoping for a harsher sentence. Speaking at the Hungarian Permanent Conference in Budapest on Thursday, Orban welcomed the conviction. Referring to a government-sponsored advertising campaign featuring anti-immigrant sentiments, Orban said the message was on the billboard: If you come to Hungary you have to respect our laws, Hungarian news website 444.hu reported.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/europe/syrian-man-border-riotterror/index.html
Syrian man jailed over Hungary border riot despite pleading for calm
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