Budapest Complex | Maja T. must remain in custody

Budapest. Maja T. (24), a German non-binary person imprisoned in Budapest, remains in custody. The court rejected a request for her transfer to house arrest, citing an increased risk of escape given a potential sentence of up to 24 years in prison.

Maja T. is accused of participating in acts of violence against actual or suspected right-wing extremists in Budapest in February 2023 and of being jointly responsible for serious bodily harm. Maja T. was arrested in Berlin in December 2023 and extradited to Hungary in June 2024 – despite the Federal Constitutional Court's prohibition. The decision came a few minutes too late.

After the verdict, Maja T. said there was "no objective reason" for further detention, the conditions of which were "inhumane." Maja announced a continuation of a hunger strike that began 16 days earlier. Dozens of anti-fascist activists watched the proceedings from the public gallery, while others demonstrated outside, chanting slogans like "Free Maja." Police separated this group from right-wing extremist counter-demonstrators.

Demands on politicians to address the case

Martin Schirdewan, leader of The Left group in the European Parliament, criticized the court's decision: "The rejection of the request for house arrest is a scandal waiting to happen. This trial is less a legal proceeding than a targeted campaign of revenge by Viktor Orbán against anti-fascist individuals." The detention conditions under which Maja T. has been held for over a year are inhumane and violate international law, Schirdewan said. "House arrest would have been a minimal step towards humane treatment – ​​especially since Maja T. began a hunger strike two weeks ago. The fact that even this drastic act has not led to a change of mind is deeply shameful. There is no justification why Maja T. has been held in pre-trial detention for a year and now continues to be held under the worst conditions." He expects the German government to "finally take a clear stance, publicly support Maja T., and forcefully demand her return to Germany," Schirdewan said.

An open letter from the action network "Leipzig Takes a Seat" also addresses politicians – more specifically, the parties in Leipzig, the members of the Bundestag, and Saxony's Queer Commissioner – demanding that they stand up for Maja T. "Specifically, we ask you for a clear statement and active action in the case of the non-binary German citizen Maja T," the letter states. Even Italy, under the government of the far right, intervened in a similar case and brought back an Italian citizen. "We therefore ask ourselves: Why is German politics silent? Why are you silent? What concrete steps are you taking to guarantee the protection of German citizens, ensure due process, and implement the decision of the highest German court?"