Germany jails left-wing activist over Hungary attacks

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BERLIN - A German court on Friday sentenced a left-wing activist to five years in jail for taking part in violent attacks on far-right demonstrators during a rally in Hungary two years ago.

The defendant, identified only as Hanna S., was found guilty of grievous bodily harm over her involvement in assaulting the February 2023 rally in Budapest.

Far-right groups from across Europe had gathered in the Hungarian capital at the time to mark the anniversary of Nazi forces attempting to break out of Budapest when it was besieged by Russia near the end of World War II.

Prosecutors say Hanna S. was involved in attacks on three people who were repeatedly struck with batons and other weapons and sprayed with pepper spray.

The victims suffered bruises and cuts, in particular to their heads.

Prosecutors had argued that one of the cases amounted to attempted murder and called for a longer sentence of nine years.

Hanna S., who was arrested in May 2024, is one of several German citizens accused of taking part in the Budapest attacks.

In June 2024, another German activist, a non-binary person named as Maja T., was extradited to Hungary.

Germany's top court later ruled that the extradition was unlawful because it had failed to take account of potentially dangerous prison conditions in Hungary, especially for LGBTQ people.

Maja T. went on trial in February and recently staged a 40-day hunger strike in protest at "my unlawful and unjustified extradition" and the "inhumane conditions in Hungarian prisons".

The verdict in Maja T.'s trial is due on October 8.

In January, six more left-wing activists turned themselves in to police in Germany saying they wanted to avoid extradition to Hungary.