Several members of Bundestag factions have issued sharp criticism of the process and verdict of the Budapest City Court against the alleged left‑extremist Maja T.
The SPD law‑policy spokesperson, Carmen Wegge, told “Die Welt” that the judgment marks the conclusion of a proceeding that raises serious questions about fundamental rule‑of‑law principles. She also referenced a ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court on the case and said that the next step is to “examine the legal options for facilitating Maja T’s extradition to Germany”.
The Greens likewise condemned the proceedings. Helge Limburg, the Greens’ law‑policy spokesman, explained that a democratic, lawful process had not been guaranteed in Hungary from the outset. He urged the federal government to urgently work to repair the damage to the rule of law caused by the unconstitutional extradition and to retrieve Maja T back to Germany so that a fair, lawful trial can be held there.
The Left faction issued strong criticism as well. Its law‑policy spokesman, Luke Hoß, said that “the disproportionate prison sentence demonstrates how Orbán’s authoritarian government tramples upon rule‑of‑law principles”. Hoß demanded that Maja T be immediately re‑extradited to Germany and receive another fair and lawful trial in a German court.
Maja T was convicted on Wednesday in Budapest on charges of attempted life‑threatening bodily harm and membership in a criminal association, and sentenced to eight years in prison. The judgment is not yet final. The case had already attracted political attention before the verdict, partly because the Federal Constitutional Court later deemed the extradition of T to Hungary unlawful.
In the proceedings, Maja T was defended by three criminal lawyers, including Berlin attorney Sven Richwin. Richwin told “Tagesspiegel” that, “Despite the heavy sentence, eight years is a defeat for the prosecution”. He added that the indictment had demanded 24 years, and then the prosecution offered 14 years in a sort of deal to the defendant.
Richwin explained that the security‑services’ portrayal of Maja T as “highly dangerous” and the need to lock her away for many years “didn’t play out” as expected, citing the bonds that have been released in recent months which brought her to the court from pre‑trial custody. He said the process has harmed Hungary’s international reputation, with widespread criticism across Europe that surely did not go unnoticed by the Hungarian justice system.
If the verdict becomes final, Richwin said that an extradition request will be filed: “Hungary’s justice has suggested that Maja T could be transferred to Germany. That is common practice within the EU. However, in this case, the imposed sentence may not be fully credited, because German courts have decided that prison conditions in Hungary are significantly harsher than in the Federal Republic – as was the case here. Consequently, we expect that part of the sentence would be reduced when transferred to German facilities”.