German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is advocating for improved prison conditions for Simeon T., a German citizen accused of left-wing extremist violence in Hungary’s Budapest. However, calls to bring Simeon T. to Germany are not going to happen, notes Wadephul in a new interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
The German foreign minister notes that the German citizen faces “the most serious charges” in Hungary and that Hungary intends to proceed with its own prosecution. Wadephul stated that even if Simeon T. were brought back to Germany, he would still face criminal proceedings.
However, the foreign minister stated that the German government is participating in “intensive efforts” to “achieve improvements in the detention situation.” He plans to “appear again in Hungary” and discuss this matter in the coming weeks.
Simeon T., who identifies as nonbinary and uses the name Maja, was extradited to Hungary in June 2024 to face charges related to a series of violent attacks in Budapest in February 2023. These attacks, allegedly perpetrated by masked individuals from the left-wing extremist scene, targeted perceived political opponents and resulted in serious injuries.
Known as the Hammer Gang, some of the brutal attacks were caught on camera.
During the attacks, masked individuals attacked eight people from behind. Victims suffered concussions, fractured noses, broken bones, and other serious wounds.
The suspects are from the left-wing extremist scene, predominantly from Germany, but also from Hungary and Italy. They apparently identified their victims simply by the clothing they were wearing, which they associated with the right-wing scene, such as camouflage pants and black boots. However, Hungarian authorities stated that a number of innocent victims were beaten and suffered “life-changing” injuries.
Germany’s top court, the Constitutional Court, eventually ruled that the extradition of Simeon T. from Germany to Hungary was unlawful; however, Simeon T. had already been extradited.
Simeon T. has conducted a hunger strike over the allegedly poor conditions in Hungarian prison, which has since ended. Hungarian authorities contend that the prisoner is being afforded all rights and necessities required under the law. Simeon T. has since identified as “non-binary” while in Hungarian prison and changed his name to “Maja.”
Other German politicians, including Green Party MP Katrin Göring-Eckardt, have also lobbied on behalf of Simeon T.
There is growing radicalization among supporters of Simeon T. in Germany, according to some German security experts.
“In my opinion, the goal of the campaign is to reverse the perpetrator-victim role,” stated Denis Kuhne of the Saxon State Criminal Police Office in an interview with the Saxon newspaper Leipziger Volksstimme.
“Simeon T. is “a projection screen for many different current political issues,” he added.
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