German neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich to serve prison term in men's prison despite gender change

Marla Svenja Liebich Source: AFP / MICHAL CIZEK

After his extradition to Germany, neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich was initially placed in a women's prison. However, he will now serve his sentence in a men's prison — despite having changed his gender entry.

Although Marla Svenja Liebich officially counts as a woman, he is to serve his prison sentence in a men's prison. The prison management at the women's prison in Chemnitz made this decision, the Saxon Ministry of Justice confirmed to the news agency dpa. In 2025, it became known that Liebich had changed his gender entry from "male" to "female," a move critics consider a provocation.

Following his extradition from the Czech Republic to Germany on Wednesday, Liebich was initially brought to the women's prison in Chemnitz. On the same day, he was transferred to the Zeithain correctional facility in the district of Meißen, authorities announced.

Official Response

"It's good that the prison quickly created clarity and did not engage in stagings," said Saxony's Minister of Justice Constanze Geiert (CDU). The decision by prison management was made after a conversation with Liebich and an examination of him. In weighing the relevant aspects, the safety of the women in the Chemnitz correctional facility was also considered.

Background

In July 2023, the right-wing extremist — then still a man with the first name Sven — was sentenced by the Halle district court to a total prison sentence of one year and six months without parole for incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult. Liebich was originally scheduled to begin serving his sentence at the end of August 2025.

Marla Svenja Liebich is presented at the Regional Court in Pilsen Source: Hendrik Schmidt / dpa

In the meantime, Liebich changed his gender entry from male to female and his first name to Marla Svenja. Critics describe this as an abuse of the Self-Determination Act. The Halle district court is still awaiting a decision on whether the changes can be reversed. The Saalekreis district stated that it initiated legal steps for a correction of the entry in December 2025.

Because Liebich has officially counted as a woman since the change, he was summoned to the Chemnitz women's prison to begin his sentence — the closest prison to his registered address. However, the right-wing extremist did not start his sentence last year. Instead, he fled and was only apprehended in the Czech Republic in April of this year.

Liebich's Objection to Extradition

Following his arrest, Liebich was brought to Pilsen (Plzeň). Before the court in the western Czech city, Liebich stated that he did not want to be extradited to Germany because he feared he would die in a German men's prison.