Wolfram Jarosch | For Maja T.: On foot to Budapest

On Tuesday morning, Wolfram Jarosch set out on foot from Dresden Correctional Facility to Budapest. He plans to walk 800 kilometers – to the prison where his child has been held in solitary confinement for over a year. Jarosch is thus continuing his protest march "On Foot for Justice" from Jena to Berlin, which he concluded just a few days ago in front of the Federal Foreign Office. There, he handed over a petition started by relatives of inmates with over 100,000 signatures, demanding the return of the child and a halt to further possible extraditions.

Now he's going one step further: He calls his protest a "hunger march," during which he will consume only a little vegetable juice, broth, milk, and about 30 grams of honey daily. This is purely to "supply minerals," Jarosch told "nd." He plans to walk via Prague and Vienna to Budapest. His wife Tanja will accompany him the entire route on her bike.

The teacher from Thuringia welcomes the fact that Foreign Minister Wadephul and the Foreign Office are finally willing to get involved in the case – apparently beyond consular support . The high-level talks announced by the federal government are "an important signal." Nevertheless, Jarosch remains skeptical, saying: "So far, nothing has changed in the actual circumstances."

According to Jarosch, the high-level talks announced by the federal government are “an important signal.”

Maja T. repeatedly complains about the poor hygienic conditions in prison. There are cockroaches and bedbugs, and some of the food is spoiled. In protest, T. began a hunger strike in June that lasted almost six weeks, during which T. lost 14 kilograms of body weight. T. was also taken to a prison hospital 300 kilometers from Budapest. There, Jarosch told "nd." For the teacher from Jena, this is a form of psychological torture. The desperate father repeatedly speaks of the systematic degradation of his child.

Even after Maja's hunger strike was called off, acts of civil disobedience took place in at least two dozen German cities this week. Among other things, the ZDF studio in Berlin was briefly blocked, and a "Free Maja" banner was affixed to the "Molecule Man" sculpture in the Spree River. In Leipzig, a house was occupied in solidarity with Maja T., and in Kiel, scaffolding at the state parliament was occupied for several hours. Left-wing activists there also lowered a banner reading "Free Maja," and special police forces cleared the scaffolding after several hours. Social media called for participation in an action camp in front of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

Maja T. is on trial in Budapest for alleged membership in a criminal organization and also allegedly committing aggravated bodily harm. During the right-wing extremist "Day of Honor" – a gathering of thousands of neo-Nazis that glorifies the SS, among other things – attacks on alleged or actual right-wing radicals took place. If convicted, T. faces up to 24 years in prison. So far, no evidence of guilt has been presented in court. Even the witnesses called to testify have been unable to identify T. as the perpetrator.

The Federal Constitutional Court subsequently ruled the extradition to Hungary unlawful. Hungarian courts would have to decide on her return to Germany, but so far they have made no effort to do so. Jarosch therefore intends to use the hunger march to increase political pressure: "I call on Foreign Minister Dr. Johann Wadephul and Hungarian President Dr. Sulyok Tamás to end Maja's solitary confinement and facilitate her return to Germany."

Whether Jarosch will reach Budapest on foot remains to be seen. The distance is long, and the radical fasting is physically demanding. What is certain, however, is the intended goal of his action: an end to solitary confinement, return to Germany, and no further extraditions to Hungary. "The Federal Constitutional Court's decision must finally be implemented," Jarosch said.