Hungary Appeals Court Cuts German Activist’s Sentence to Seven Years

A Hungarian appeals court cut German nonbinary activist Maja T.’s prison term from eight years to seven for involvement in assaults on people attending Budapest’s 2023 far-right “Day of Honor” rally. The court reclassified Maja T.’s role as an accomplice rather than a co-perpetrator on one count and removed the finding of membership in an organized criminal group, while upholding the conviction for causing serious bodily harm. The ruling is final; the court also allowed Maja T. to serve the sentence in another EU country. The case has drawn scrutiny over Maja T.’s extradition from Germany, which Germany’s Constitutional Court found unlawful, citing the risk of discrimination in Hungary because the country does not legally recognize nonbinary people. Maja T.’s supporters and some German politicians have questioned the fairness of the proceedings, while Hungarian prosecutors said the attacks were planned and targeted people identified as far-right extremists.