An appeals court in Hungary reduced a prison sentence for a German non-binary activist, following a high-profile legal battle over an assault case stemming from clashes in Budapest.
Budapest Appeals Court Reduces Prison Term for German Activist
Maja T., a German national and member of a left-wing activist group, received a reduced sentence after an appeals court reviewed convictions connected to attacks on participants of a far-right march on February 11, 2023, according to reports by Aktuálně.cz and EuropeSays. Neofascists had gathered in the Hungarian capital to mark the so-called “Day of Honor,” commemorating a failed 1945 attempt by German and Hungarian soldiers to break out of a Soviet encirclement. Several people targeted during the clashes sustained serious injuries.
A lower court previously handed down an eight-year prison sentence in February. However, the appeals court judge reduced the punishment after determining that Maja T. should be classified as an accomplice rather than a direct co-perpetrator on one of the two counts, according to court details reported by index.hu and Aktuálně.cz. The court also ruled that the defendant was no longer considered a member of an organized criminal group, though the conviction for severe bodily harm was upheld.
Prosecutors originally charged Maja T. with severe bodily harm, attempted assault, participation in an organized criminal group, and coordinated attacks. Court documents noted that the leftist group allegedly planned an “ideological struggle with the use of violent attacks against supporters of extremist rights,” utilizing instruments capable of causing death. Throughout the proceedings, Maja T. maintained that the accusations were politically motivated.
Extradition Controversy and German Constitutional Court Ruling
The case escalated into a diplomatic and legal flashpoint after German authorities arrested Maja T. in Berlin in December 2023 and subsequently extradited the activist to Hungary. In February 2025, the German Constitutional Court ruled that the extradition was unlawful, finding that the transfer violated the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Judges in Germany supported the defense’s objection that Maja T., as a non-binary person, faced a heightened risk of discrimination and mistreatment in Hungary. Hungarian law officially recognizes only two genders, male and female. The broader political context involves the administration of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who ended his leadership after April elections, which enacted multiple measures targeting the LGBTQ+ community—policies that the European Union has repeatedly challenged as discriminatory based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Options for Serving the Remaining Sentence in the European Union
Following the ruling by the Budapest appeals court, the judge stated that Maja T. is legally permitted to request the execution of the remainder of the sentence in another member state of the European Union. The convicted activist stated that she intends to utilize this option to serve the prison term outside of Hungary.
Worth a look