Representatives of several Bundestag factions have voiced strong criticism of the proceedings and judgment by the Budapest district court concerning the German person suspected of left‑extremism, Maja T. The SPD parliamentary group’s legal affairs spokesperson, Carmen Wegge, told the “Welt”: “The judgment marks the end of a proceeding in which fundamental rule‑of‑law principles are called into question”. She also referenced a Federal Constitutional Court decision on the case and said, “It now must be examined what legal options exist to enable Maja T.’s transfer back to Germany”.
The Greens have made a similar attack on the process. Helge Limburg, the Greens’ legal affairs spokesperson, told the “Welt”: “A rule‑of‑law procedure was never guaranteed in Hungary from the outset”. He called on the German federal government to urgently restore the damage to the rule of law inflicted by the unconstitutional extradition and to bring Maja T. back to Germany to allow a fair, lawful trial.
The left‑wing faction was just as scathing. Luke Hoß, their legal affairs spokesperson, stated: “The disproportionate prison sentence shows how Orbán’s right‑wing authoritarian regime tramples rule‑of‑law principles”. He demanded that “Maja T. be immediately transferred back to Germany for a new fair, lawful hearing before a German court”.
T. was sentenced on Wednesday in Budapest to eight years in prison for attempted life‑threatening bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization. The judgment is still provisional. The case had already attracted political attention prior to the ruling, notably due to the later extradition from Germany to Hungary, which the Federal Constitutional Court deemed unconstitutional.
In the proceeding, T. was defended by three attorneys, including Berlin lawyer Sven Richwin. Richwin told the “Tagesspiegel”: “Despite the heavy sentence, eight years is a defeat for the prosecution”. He added that the indictment had demanded 24 years, and the state prosecutor offered the client a 14‑year deal.
“The security‑service‑orchestrated scenario-portraying Maja T. as highly dangerous and requiring long‑term imprisonment-did not materialize” Richwin said, alluding to the restraints that kept T. in chains in recent months as she was transported from remand to court. “The procedure has harmed Hungary internationally; the public across Europe criticized it, and the Hungarian judiciary surely feels that”.
Should the judgment become final, Richwin says an extradition request will be filed. “Hungarian justice has indicated willingness to transfer Maja T. back to Germany, which is common practice within the EU” he explained. “However, in this case, the imposed sentence would most likely not be credited in full, because German courts have found that conditions in Hungary are markedly harsher than in the Federal Republic-exactly as in the present case. Therefore, we anticipate that part of the sentence will be reduced once transferred to German facilities”.
