The case of Maja, a non-binary activist imprisoned in Hungary, has show the increasing criminalisation of antifascists and the targeting of marginalised communities across Europe. Transferred to a prison hospital as their health rapidly deteriorates, Maja has been on hunger strike since early June, an act of resistance against a system that has denied them due process and humane treatment.

Left co-President Martin Schirdewan (Die Linke, Germany) said: “The German government must now make their return from Hungary to Germany a priority”. His statement follows his multiple visits and support mounting concerns over the conditions of Maja’s detention and the political nature of their extradition.

Arrested in Berlin in December 2023, despite the concerns about the state of rule of law in Hungary, and a pending case before the German Constitutional Court, Maja was extradited in June 2024. Only after the transfer did the court issue an injunction halting the extradition, an extraordinary failure of judicial timing with life-altering consequences.

Martin Schirdewan has sharply criticised both the Hungarian government and the passivity of German authorities. “This injustice must be remedied,” he stated, emphasising that Maja “has the right to a fair trial and humane detention conditions.” Neither of these rights is assured in Hungary under the authoritarian rule of Viktor Orbán, whose regime has systematically dismantled judicial independence and targeted LGBTQ+ communities and leftist activists.

This is not simply a legal misstep, it is a political scandal. It highlights the complicity of European institutions in the repression of anti-fascist activist, the abandonment of individuals to hostile regimes, and the erosion of fundamental rights in the EU.

Enough inaction.

Bring Maja Home. Now.

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