A verdict is expected in Budapest on February 4 against a left-wing extremist from Germany. Maja T. has a non-binary gender identity. The trial is controversial from a rule of law perspective.
This criminal trial before a court in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, has several dimensions. In addition to the legal one, there are also political and European ones. Maja T., from Jena, is accused of being a possible member of a left-wing extremist group that attacked participants in an annual international neo-Nazi rally in February 2023. Some of the victims were seriously injured.
At the beginning of the trial in February 2025, Maja T. rejected the offer to plead guilty and be sentenced to 14 years in prison. The prosecution is now seeking the maximum sentence of 24 years. Maja T.'s defense attorney is seeking acquittal. The verdict is expected on February 4.
Extradition to Hungary was illegal
However, the trial should not have taken place in Hungary at all, because the extradition of Maja T. in June 2024 was deemed illegal by the German Constitutional Court. The court's reasoning: deficits in the rule of law in a European Union (EU) member state, which has been governed in an increasingly authoritarian manner by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán since 2010.
Maja T. also does not identify herself as either male or female. Such non-binary people face even greater discrimination in Hungary than in other countries. This concern was also expressed by the German Constitutional Court.
Maja T. has been held in solitary confinement since June 2024
The concerns were apparently confirmed, as Maja T. is being held in solitary confinement without interruption. An attempt to change the situation through a hunger strike in July 2025 was unsuccessful. Maja T. is convinced that her gender identity is a reason for the harsher prison conditions: “This definitely plays a role,” Maja T. said in an interview conducted by Deutsche Welle in prison.
Before the verdict is handed down, the prisoner from the German university town of Jena, whose case has become a political issue, wants to speak one last time about the criminal proceedings and her experiences in prison. Maja's father, Wolfram Jarosch, said this in an interview with DW. A rally, announced by him, as well as other planned solidarity demonstrations, have been banned. The authorities justified the ban by explaining that members of a terrorist organization could participate in them.
"Antifa East" is on the list of terrorist organizations in Hungary
We are talking about “Antifa East”, which in 2025 was placed on the list of terrorist organizations in Hungary, following the example of President Donald Trump in the USA. Right-wing extremists, meanwhile, have no reason to be afraid. On February 14, ten days after the expected verdict against Maja T., neo-Nazis from all over Europe will once again celebrate the so-called “Day of Honor” in Budapest. “They are even allowed to march in SS uniforms and with swastikas,” says indignant father Wolfram Jarosz. “But the anti-rally has been banned this year.” In the context of these protests, violent attacks on suspected neo-Nazis took place in 2023.
Jarosz is also disappointed by the fruitless diplomatic efforts. Representatives of the German embassy in Hungary visited Maja T. several times in prison and attended the trial as observers. In addition, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced in July 2025 that he intended to advocate for better prison conditions. Apparently without success.
Can Maja T. rely on Hungary's promises?
Jarosh has almost lost hope for a fair decision. Whether Maja T. will appeal her long prison sentence is still unclear, her father says. If the decision is appealed, his child will initially have to stay in Hungary. But if the first court's decision is upheld, Maja T. could be transferred to a German prison.
Jaros said that there are already promises about this. "I can only hope that the Hungarian side will keep its word regarding the promised return."
But he has doubts, because even the promise to improve prison conditions in Budapest has not been kept.
"A political decision will be made"
German MEP Martin Schirdewan, who has visited Maja T. in prison several times, expects the worst: "A political decision will be made," the Left Party politician thinks in an interview with DW, referring to the shortcomings of the rule of law in Hungary. Due to the repeated violation of fundamental values, the European Commission cut Hungary over one billion euros in funding for structurally weak regions at the beginning of 2025.
Schirdewan's pessimistic prognosis also results from what he saw as a spectator in the courtroom: The prosecution has demanded that the decision be "harsh and serve as an example." Schirdewan also raises harsh accusations against the European Commission and the German government: Both have not intervened publicly and forcefully.
Suspicious evidence from security cameras
In his closing statement, Maja T.'s Hungarian defense attorney, Tamás Bajaky, largely criticized the prosecution's position. He considers the video recordings of violent attacks on neo-Nazis shown during the trial, which were taken from public security cameras, to be completely inadmissible as evidence.
The prosecution claims to have identified a masked person in one fragment as Maja T. "This person passes by, turns around and leaves the scene again. This person does not have a rubber baton, does not attack or hit anyone and does not cause any injuries," Bajaky stated in a press release issued after his final plea.
Whether Judge József Sós will be influenced by this and give a lighter sentence than the prosecution is seeking will be known on February 4./DW/
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