(ANSA) - BERLIN - "Hundreds" of refugees and asylum-seekers find themselves living in "degrading conditions" along Hungary's southern border "or in overcrowded centres in Serbia", Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday.

In particular, the human rights watchdog denounced the "horrible treatment" reserved for asylum seekers by Budapest.

The situation is the result of the 'barrier' created last September along the border with Serbia and then extended to Croatia, and of "a law providing for only a summary examination of asylum requests". So-called 'transit areas' - metal containers - have been opened at two border posts for examining asylum requests and only 30 people are allowed through them each day. During an inspection Amnesty found "over 600 people living in improvised camps, and in many cases they had been there for months". (ANSA).