Budapest court cuts sentence for German activist in high-profile case

A Budapest appeals court has reduced the prison sentence by a year for Maja T, a German activist convicted in Hungary for serious assault on suspected far-right extremists.

Judge Geza Szalai said on Wednesday that the time Maja T had spent in pre-trial detention would be deducted from the initial eight-year sentence. He found that the defendant had not acted as a member of a criminal organization, overturning the ruling of the court of first instance. 

Maja T, who identifies as non-binary, has been associated with left-wing activists.

Maja T was sentenced in February to eight years in prison. The prosecution had sought a tougher sentence of at least 13 years in the appeal proceedings. The maximum sentence is 24 years. The defence had argued for acquittal.

The accusations are connected to violent activities by a German Antifa group, whose members have since also been convicted in Germany. 

In February 2023, numerous anti-fascists demonstrated in Budapest against the Day of Honour, a gathering traditionally organized by far-right extremists, during which the violent incidents took place.

Maja T was arrested in Berlin in December 2023 and extradited from Germany to Hungary in June 2024.