Hungary has in latest weeks freed 777 foreigners, largely Serbian, Ukrainian and Romanian nationals, convicted of human-trafficking, the directorate of prisons mentioned on Wednesday in a reply to Reuters questions.

Citing overcrowded prisons, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s authorities issued a decree in April permitting the discharge of overseas nationals convicted of individuals smuggling, provided that they depart Hungary inside 72 hours as soon as freed.

The transfer drew a protest from neighbouring Austria, a prime vacation spot for smuggled migrants heading for the center of the European Union by way of Hungary from the Balkans. Vienna mentioned it regards the discharge of human traffickers as a safety menace.

The Hungarian jail directorate (BvOP) mentioned there have been 2,636 folks convicted of human trafficking in Hungarian prisons, of whom 808 had been overseas residents eligible for the discharge.

“Incarcerating foreign nationals costs Hungarian prisons billions of forints each year,” the BvOP press workplace mentioned in its emailed reply.

It mentioned that if these launched don’t depart Hungary’s territory inside 72 hours and are caught by police, they must stay in jail for the complete time period of their sentence.

For many migrants the Hungarian route stays an interesting one regardless of stepped-up border police patrols and a metal fence constructed by Hungary after the EU’s 2015 migration disaster on its southern border with Serbia.

Once in Hungary, migrants can transfer throughout typically open borders inside Europe’s Schengen zone to wealthier western EU international locations like Austria or Germany.