UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Hungary to respect the human rights of refugees, who have recently been mistreated behind the country’s closed frontiers and faced a heavy-handed crackdown.

Ban expressed concern over Hungary’s handling of the recent refugee influx in a Saturday meeting with Hungarian President Janos Ader on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, a UN statement said.

The UN chief said he “understood the challenges faced by Hungary” but stressed the “importance of respecting dignity and human rights in addressing these issues,” according to the statement.

Hungary, which lies on the path of many desired refugee destinations in prosperous European countries, sealed its border with Serbia on September 15, prompting thousands of refugees to move to Croatia which, in turn, started redirecting them to the Hungarian border.

Budapest built a razor-wire fence along its entire borders with neighbors, after sealing off its border with Serbia in a bid to keep refugees out.

The Hungarian police have in recent days used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesting refugees, who seek to enter the country.

Plight of refugees

Thousands of refugees, mainly from Syria, continue to arrive in Europe on a daily basis, risking their lives by taking boats from Turkey to Greece in the hope of reaching wealthier EU states such as Germany by traveling overland through the Balkans.

So far this year, nearly half a million people have undertaken the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, official figures show. Some 2,800 have died en route.