Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has defended the conviction of the non-binary person Maja T. to eight years in prison in Budapest against criticism. The act occurred in February 2023 around the far-right 'Day of Honor'. Politicians are calling for Maja T.'s return to Germany.
On Wednesday, a court in Budapest sentenced the 25-year-old non-binary person Maja T. to eight years in prison for an attack on far-right extremists in February 2023. The incident took place around the far-right 'Day of Honor,' where Maja T., along with other members of a left-extremist group, assaulted several people with batons, rubber hammers, and other weapons. It resulted in severe bodily injuries, including a skull fracture for one victim.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) expressed understanding for the verdict. "Maja T. belongs to a left-extremist group that attacked other people with batons, rubber hammers, and other weapons," he told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "Severe bodily injuries occurred there. One person suffered a skull fracture. That must lead to a conviction." Dobrindt added: "And since these crimes were committed in Hungary, from my point of view, there is nothing to object to regarding proceedings and a subsequent verdict in Hungary."
Maja T. was arrested in Berlin in December 2023 and extradited to Hungary in June 2024. The Federal Constitutional Court later ruled the extradition unlawful, as it occurred before the completion of an expedited procedure. Criticism also targets the prison conditions in Hungary: Maja T. spent one and a half years in solitary confinement. The EU Commission has been accusing Hungary of rule-of-law deficits for years.
Both Maja T. and the Hungarian public prosecutor's office have appealed, so the person will remain in Hungary until the end of the proceedings. Any prison sentence could be served in Germany. Politicians from the SPD, Greens, and Left Party are urging the federal government to push for the return. The Foreign Office is handling the case at a high level. On Wednesday evening, hundreds protested in Berlin and other cities against the verdict.
