For almost a year Maja T. is on trial in Budapestalways paraded in chains by masked security forces. The accusation: The non-binary anti-fascist from Thuringia is said to be with other leftists in February 2023 several right-wing extremists attacked on the sidelines of the “Day of Honor”.a Europe-wide neo-Nazi networking meeting. Now a verdict against the 25-year-old is imminent – and the Budapest public prosecutor’s office is demanding a long prison sentence as a “deterrent”.
On Monday, the prosecution made its plea in the trial. According to several trial observers, including Maja T.’s father, she spoke of an “unprecedented series of attacks”. The attackers were always attacked from a larger group, including with batons, and suffered head injuries and broken bones. The fact that no serious injuries occurred was a coincidence and was partly only prevented because the victims wore hats and thick clothing. The fact that the attacks always stopped after around 30 seconds was not intended to protect the victims, but rather to enable the attackers to escape.
The public prosecutor cited images from surveillance cameras and the rental of a holiday apartment as evidence of the presence of Maja T. and other Germans in Budapest. The group behaved “conspiratorially” in the city and apparently planned its attacks well in advance and in a tightly organized manner, according to the prosecutors. During the actual attacks, however, only masked people could be seen in the video images, and Maja T. could not identify those attacked either. That’s why the public prosecutor’s office only considered T. an accessory. Since Maja T. was also part of the group of attackers, this does not mitigate the punishment.
The public prosecutor ultimately accused Maja T. of four counts of life-threatening bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization. She emphasized that no ideology justifies the use of violence. Prosecutors did not call for a specific sentence, but called for a high penalty as a “deterrent” to such acts. The punishment range allows imprisonment of up to 24 years.
Maja T.’s lawyer speaks of a “farce”
Maja T.’s German lawyer, Sven Richwin, emphasized to the taz that there was still no evidence of T.’s specific involvement in the attacks. “24 years in prison would obviously be disproportionate for the alleged physical injuries,” said Richwin. “Given the lack of evidence, it’s a farce.”
I am accused because I am an anti-fascist
Maja T., in court
The left-wing MEP Martin Schirdewan also criticized: “What happened in Budapest today is a judicial scandal of European proportions.” The proceedings against Maja T. are a “politically motivated show trial”. The public prosecutor’s plea “finally broke with the rule of law,” said Schirdewan. It is not based on evidence, but “on sheer prejudgment and political arbitrariness.”
The plea from Maja T’s Hungarian defense attorney is scheduled to take place in the trial on Thursday, and the verdict is expected to be handed down on February 4th. Maja T. did not comment on the specific allegations during the trial, but complained of a prior conviction. “I am accused because I am an anti-fascist,” explains T. in court. It’s not about establishing evidence, but “just about punishing and breaking me.”
The taz visited Maja T. in prison
There were five attacks on right-wing extremists around the “Day of Honor” in February 2023. Two German leftists and an Italian woman were arrested on site. Other leftists, including Maja T., were wanted. In December 2023, T. was arrested in Berlin by Saxon investigators. Six months later he was extradited to Hungary. This was done illegally, as the Federal Constitutional Court later foundbecause the circumstances of detention of non-binary people in Hungary were not sufficiently examined.
Maja T. went on a 40-day hunger strike in the summer of 2025 because of the prison conditions. Little had changed after that. The taz visited Maja T. in prison in Hungary – where the Thuringian complained about being left alone by the federal government.