Budapest appeals court reduces German anti-fascist Maja T.'s sentence to seven years
A Budapest appeals court reduced the prison term for German activist Maja T. from eight to seven years on Wednesday, ruling the defendant was an accomplice rather than a criminal group member.
Appeals court ruling
On Wednesday, an appeals court in Budapest reduced the prison sentence of German left-wing activist Maja T. from eight years to seven years. The ruling is final under Hungarian law. Judge Géza Szalai announced that time already spent in pre-trial detention will be credited toward the final term. The court modified the initial February verdict, determining that Maja T. acted as an accomplice rather than a direct perpetrator on one of the counts, and ruled that the defendant had not operated as a member of a criminal organization. Supporters gathered outside the central Budapest courthouse on Wednesday morning, holding banners demanding the activist's release, while Maja T. smiled at supporters seated in the courtroom.
Prosecution demands and defense arguments
The decision followed competing appeals from both sides. Prosecutors had petitioned the court to increase the penalty to between 13 and 14 years, arguing that the maximum statutory penalty reached 24 years. The prosecution also requested placement in a stricter penitentiary facility with tighter movement restrictions and limited eligibility for early release, contending that the defendants accepted the risk of inflicting lethal injuries. In contrast, the defense sought a full acquittal. Defense lawyers argued that street surveillance footage failed to clearly identify Maja T., that medical experts presented no conclusive evidence of baton strikes, and that procedural rights were infringed because Hungarian authorities failed to translate all case documents into German.
Extradition and diplomatic friction
The case centers on February 2023 assaults during the "Day of Honor" event in Budapest, an annual gathering of European far-right and neo-Nazi groups. Investigators stated that activists linked to a German anti-fascist network tracked down and attacked suspected participants. German police arrested Maja T., a non-binary activist from Jena, in Berlin in December 2023, before transferring the defendant to Hungary in 2024. The extradition caused cross-border legal disputes. In February 2025, Germany's Federal Constitutional Court declared the transfer unlawful, ruling that Berlin judicial authorities had failed to verify whether Hungarian prison conditions would expose a non-binary detainee to degrading treatment under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. During detention, Maja T. mounted a hunger strike over solitary confinement, though Hungarian authorities rejected claims of improper treatment.
- Assaults occur against participants at the Day of Honor rally in Budapest
- German authorities arrest Maja T. in Berlin
- Maja T. is extradited from Germany to Hungarian custody
- Germany's Federal Constitutional Court rules the extradition was unlawful
- A lower Hungarian court sentences Maja T. to eight years in prison
- Budapest appeals court reduces the prison sentence to seven years
Family reaction and related proceedings
Following the ruling, the defendant's father, Wolfram Jarosch, spoke to reporters about the outcome.
I think Maja took the news very calmly, but I think it's also very depressing for Maja. Seven years is an extremely long time.
Jarosch reiterated concerns over prison standards in Hungary. The case is one of several prosecutions linked to the 2023 Budapest assaults. In 2024, Hungarian courts sentenced another German national, Tobias E., to three years in prison, which an appeals court subsequently lowered to one year and ten months following an admission of guilt. Defense attorneys for Maja T. now plan to petition for a transfer to Germany so the defendant can serve the remainder of the sentence there.
