Following his visit to the 23-year-old German anti-fascist Maja T., Martin Schirdewan, co-chair of the Left Group in the European Parliament, has called for an EU-wide ban on extraditions to Hungary.

Schirdewan stated: “For years, arbitrary actions have dominated the judiciary and prison system in Hungary, particularly against minorities and those who are critical of the Orbán regime. In light of the extradition scandal in the case of the antifascist Maja T., there must be an EU-wide ban on extraditions to Hungary.”

He referred to the case of his parliamentary colleague, Italian national Ilaria Salis, who spent 15 months under inhumane conditions in a Hungarian prison. Like Maja T., Salis is accused of participating in confrontations with neo-Nazis. She is facing an 11-year prison sentence and was brought to court in February, bound with three sets of restraints and led by a bear leash.

Schirdewan emphasized that the prison conditions in Hungary, particularly for non-binary individuals like Maja T., are especially dangerous. “The German government must finally end its appeasement of the Orbán regime and do everything in its power to secure the return of those antifascist imprisoned from Germany. There must be no further extraditions to Hungary,” he says.

The mistreatment of anti-fascists in Hungary is just one example of the repressive actions of the Orbán regime, which has systematically undermined the rule of law and discriminated against minorities for years. These developments have been documented by Amnesty International and EU infringement proceedings. On January 18, 2024, the European Parliament overwhelmingly expressed its concern about the state of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary. “It is time to follow words with action,” Schirdewan urged.