Dear everyone, dear comrades,
Today, Maja was sentenced to 8 years in prison, under tightened detention and security conditions. We are the Solidarity Committee for Maja. We’re family, we’re friends and supporters, and we want to share our thoughts with you.
A lot is still unclear. How long will the revision take and what will it achieve? Under which conditions will detention continue in Hungary? When will Maja be brought back to Germany? How will the pre-trial detention and sentence from Hungary be converted to the German criminal law? What will detention be like in Germany? Nevertheless, we’re sure about some things and that’s why we’ll share our thoughts with all of you.
A political lawsuit
Looking at Maja’s case, we see that no ordinary prosecution of assault has been enforced. Hungary demanded an extradition of Maja as well as the other anti-fascists and was threatening them with a gruelling pre-trial detention and up to 24 years in prison. German police authority, especially in Saxony, have unconstitutionally extradited Maja to Hungary. Maja has been held captive for 19 months in an inhumane solitary confinement, that violates international principles of penal enforcement on a daily basis. For a whole year, Maja was made a bystander in a propaganda trial without the presumption of innocence and any other principles of the rules of law still recognised in Germany. They have declared Maja a criminal and a terrorist. During Maja’s hunger strike in summer 2025, Hungarian law enforcement authorities first denied their hunger strike, then threatened Maja with coercive treatments. Now the judge wants to imprison Maja for 8 years under tightened detention and security conditions.
Nevertheless, there is no proof of Maja having participated in the two assaults that they are accused of by the public prosecution. Witnesses have testified to the first case that Maja was not part of the perpetrators. For the second case, the prosecution claims to have recognised Maja in a person with a red hat on a security camera recording. It could not justify its claims in a comprehensible manner. The security camera recordings solely show that this unarmed person walks past the crime scene, returns and leaves shortly after. It shows that this person does not partake in any way in the assault. Public prosecution still considers Maja’s participation in the assault proven. The disparity between the body of evidence and the sentence shows Hungary’s absolute desire for persecution.
The threat of punishment, the arrest, the extradition, the solitary confinement, the propaganda trial and the disproportionate sentence – it is evident that both Hungary’s and Germany’s approach are absolutely disproportional, considering the actual offence involving bodily harm and the scant evidence of that. We appropriately accuse parts of the states of Germany and Hungary of crusading against anti-fascism. They make an example of Maja and target all of us.
For Hungary, Maja’s extradition was very convenient. A non-binary anti-fascist from Germany is the perfect enemy for Orbán’s Hungary that has declared war against queers, anti-fascism and the EU. The state of Hungary has proven this ideology during Maja’s pre-trial confinement and trial repeatedly. In March 2025, authorities changed the rules of the right of assembly to prohibit Pride Parades. In April 2025, they illegalised queer identities by changing the constitution. In September 2025 they declared antifa a terrorist organisation. They prohibited all our solidarity demonstrations in January and February of this year and recently accused Budapest’s mayor of carrying out the Pride Parade.
We won’t stop
Even though we anticipated an even more ruthless judgement, it feels like a big punch. Surely a lot of friends and comrades throughout Europe can relate. It’s important we take some time and space to reflect on those feelings together. And yet, the story doesn’t end here. On the contrary! Maja will possibly be incarcerated in Hungary and Germany for many years. In the following years, we must prepare for an ongoing support, and we must find political answers. So, we must keep on fighting and supporting – for Maja’s immediate transfer to house arrest, their instant return to Germany, for as many detention privileges as possible, and eventually, their release from detention. We hope that most of you will continue to fight alongside us.
First, we will address the German government, the foreign minister Johann Wadephul, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Maja’s return is a political matter and will only be possible through negotiations between Hungary and Germany. Because of their hunger strike, Maja achieved that Wadephul advocated for their return to Germany. Now it is our task to put him under pressure, so that he puts his words into action.
Naturally, Maja is not the only case. Meanwhile, large proceedings against anti-fascists have started before the Higher Regional Courts of Dresden and Düsseldorf. They too require our strength and attention, and the accused deserve our solidarity and our support. Having said that, we and many of the accused in these proceedings think that both Maja’s return and preventing Zaid’s and Gino’s extradition should be the top two priorities in this solidarity movement. Please consider this while gathering your strength.
The solidarity work isn’t the only thing that must continue. We must collectively keep fighting fascism, may it be against armed neo-Nazis or the inhumane politics of the governments. We want to actively resist and join forces against fascism, just like pastors, families, politicians, activists, antifas and the radical left joined forces to support Maja during their hunger strike.
The power of solidarity
It is no secret that Maja isn’t well. Maja has spoken about it in their speech concerning the preliminary end of the trial. 25 months in prison, 19 months in isolation, and 17 days of trial have left marks on their soul and body.
But Maja knows about the solidarity and movement around them. Maja is thinking about you. They are very thankful and feel connected to all of us. Against all odds, Maja is gathering strength for their own resistance from our collective movement. Maja denied the public prosecutor’s fishy deal – 14 years in jail for a full confession – and has held courageous speeches, stayed true to their own values and ideals, unveiled the detention deficiencies, and has gone into hunger strike. Maja hasn’t done this all for themselves, but also for the other accused anti-fascists. For Zaid who is also in danger of being extradited to Hungary.
We want to express our most deep gratitude to all of you who have stood in solidarity since Maja’s arrest in December 2023. Solidarity demonstrations during the pre-trial detention at JVA Dresden, excellent work of lawyers and journalists, movies by media representatives and collectives, donations from countless generous people, events with hundreds of participants, many campaigns in dozens of European cities, expressions of solidarity, open letters and protest letters, practical aid, warm words and lovely hugs. These are all reasons why Maja and we were able to get to this point and to keep on fighting. Maja, we thank you for being such a wonderful, brave and solidary human being.
We’re grateful for everyone that takes to the streets to protest this unjust judgement. Today, tomorrow, in Germany and elsewhere. We warmly invite you all to join our demonstration in Jena on 7 February.
We also stand in full solidarity with Anna and Gabriele who, in the same trial, have been sentenced to serve 2 and 7 years in prisons in Germany and Italy, respectively.
Solidarity Committee for Maja
Budapest and Jena, 4 February 2026
