Full Breakdown
Hungarian Appeals Court Reduces German Activist’s Prison Term to Seven Years
By Drooid · · How we work
Sentence Reduction for Maja T.
On September 30, 2026 a Budapest-Capital Regional Court of Appeal shortened the custodial term of a German citizen identified only as Maja T. from eight to seven years. Maja T., a 25-year-old non-binary anti-fascist activist, had been convicted for assaults on individuals the prosecution described as “suspected far-right sympathisers” during a 2023 rally commemorating Nazi soldiers. The ruling is final and not subject to further appeal.
Legal Background and Prior Proceedings
Maja T. was arrested in Berlin in December 2023 and transferred to Hungary to face trial. A lower court handed down an eight-year sentence in February 2026. The German Constitutional Court had, in February 2025, ruled that extraditing Maja T. to Hungary violated the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights because of the risk of discriminatory treatment of non-binary persons. The ruling arrived after the handover had already occurred. Other members of the multinational far-left group involved in the 2023 attacks have faced separate trials in Hungary and Germany, including a five-year sentence imposed in Germany.
Details of the Appeals Decision
The appellate panel re-characterised Maja T.’s participation in the attacks as that of an accomplice rather than a co-perpetrator for one of the two counts, and concluded that the activist should not be classified as part of an organised criminal group. Consequently, the sentence was reduced by one year. The presiding judge explained that the legal re-classification warranted the adjustment. Prosecutors had originally sought an eleven-year term for the first accused, Italian teacher Ilaria Salis, who was released from house arrest in June 2024 after being elected to the European Parliament.
Reactions and International Context
Supporters gathered outside the court, chanting “Maja” and displaying banners demanding release. German politicians and advocacy groups had previously questioned the fairness of the trial, citing concerns over Hungary’s treatment of non-binary prisoners. Hungary’s prison service denied allegations that conditions were “inhumane,” a claim that had been raised after Maja T. undertook a 40-day hunger strike in 2024. The case has drawn broader attention to Hungary’s post-Orbán legal environment, including recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that the European Union has criticized as discriminatory.
