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 and the German government to end its appeasement of the Viktor Orbán regime.
“For years, arbitrary actions have dominated the judiciary and prison system in Hungary, particularly against minorities and those critical of the Orbán regime. In light of the extradition scandal involving the anti-fascist Maja T., there must be an EU-wide ban on extraditions to Hungary,” stated Schirdewan.
Schirdewan referred to the case of his fellow parliamentarian, Italian citizen Ilaria Salis, who endured 15 months of harsh treatment in a Hungarian prison. Like Maja T., Salis is accused of being involved in altercations with neo-Nazis. She is facing an 11-year prison term and was taken to court in February while being restrained with three sets of restraints and led by a leash. Schirdewan stressed that the conditions in Hungarian prisons, especially for non-binary individuals like Maja T., are particularly dangerous.
“The German government must finally end its appeasement of the Orbán regime and do everything in its power to secure the return of imprisoned anti-fascists from Germany. There must be no further extraditions to Hungary,” he stated.
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 through 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.
