Maja T now faces 24 years in prison, accused of attacking neo-Nazis in Budapest
Despite months of legal efforts and solidarity demonstrations, German antifascist Maya T. has been extradited to Hungary, where they face 24 years imprisonment. The non-binary activist was arrested in Berlin in December 2023, and charged for allegedly forming a “criminal organisation”, in connection with attacks on a neo-Nazi rally in Budapest in February 2023. They were held in extradition custody in Dresden prison before being taken across the border.
The Budapest proceedings, which began 10 months prior to Maja’s arrest, regard allegations against several anti-fascist activists accused of violence towards far-right groups during Budapest’s “Day of Honour” events. These events commemorating WWII veterans have been attracting neo-Nazi participants. German authorities were pressured investigate and prosecute these allegations through extensive surveillance and arrests. In two cases, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office attempted to increase the charges to attempted murder, which was rejected by the Federal Court of Justice. In Hungary, the existing charge for obliquely violent acts carries a potential sentence of 24 years imprisonment.
After being held in custody, the case was transferred to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office which essentially increased the likelihood of extradition to Hungary—known for its antagonism towards LGBTQIA+ individuals alongside substandard prison conditions. The country’s authoritarian regimes and human rights violations, present in the legal and penitentiary system, do not comply with European standards to the extent that the EU Parliament denied Hungary democratic status in 2022.
On June 28th, the Federal Constitutional Court issued a temporary order to halt Maja’s extradition until a constitutional complaint could be reviewed. However, Maja had already been handed over to Hungarian authorities earlier that morning, just fifty minutes before the court’s order was issued. This action by the German authorities effectively circumvented the court’s decision.
German authorities (Dresden Prison, Saxony State Criminal Police Office, Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office) have been criticised heavily for undermining Maja’s human rights as well as refusing to provide their family with information regarding their whereabouts—denying detention rights.
Maja’s planned extardition had led to a wave of protests spanning Germany. Last December, 200 demonstrators protested in the city of Jena, demanding freedom for Maja and other political prisoners accused in the Budapest trial. Alongside support and speeches from Hamburg, Maja’s father stated that he is “proud when Maja stands up against fascists”. On Saturday (29.6), following Maja’s deportation, over 100 anti-fascists demonstrated in the city of Erfurt, and solidarity actions have taken place elsewhere in Germany over the weekend.
~ Alisa-Ece Tohumcu
