Hungary said Wednesday it would expel 14 Iranians for violating coronavirus quarantine rules, despite protests from Tehran and a rights saying that Prime Minister Viktor Orban has "quarantined the rule of law."
Police lieutenant colonel Robert Kiss told a news briefing in Budapest that 11 students were to be expelled on Thursday and another three on April 23, after they "displayed blatantly anti-social, violent behaviour" while under quarantine in a Budapest hospital last month, AFP reported.
Two students from the group, who previously received a scholarship from the Hungarian government, were accused by Orban to be responsible for bringing the virus to Hungary.
Orban was granted emergency powers indefinitely by the Hungarian parliament March 30 to tackle the pandemic and its impacts, a move that was criticized by the European Union.
For its part, Iran's foreign ministry said that the expulsion decisions were "deeply regrettable".
Ties improved between Hungary and Iran after the signing of the nuclear agreement in 2015. Hungary also doubled the number of scholarships granted to Iranian students in three years.
However, Orban changed his stance following the withdrawal of the US from the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Hungary, which has a population of almost 10 million, has recorded almost 1,600 COVID-19 infections and 134 deaths.
