Neo-Nazi Sent to Men's Prison Despite Female Registration

German authorities transferred neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich from a women's prison in Chemnitz to a men's prison in Zeithain shortly after her extradition from the Czech Republic, according to the DW website.

Although Liebich is legally registered as a woman following a gender change, the decision was made after an interview with the prisoner, a medical examination and consideration of the safety of other female inmates.

Saxony's Minister of Justice, Constanze Geiert, said the prison had not allowed itself to be drawn into a media spectacle.

Liebich officially changed her gender in 2025 and adopted the name Marla Svenja, a move critics describe as an abuse of Germany's self-determination law. The court has not yet ruled on whether the change can be reversed.

In 2023, Liebich was sentenced to 18 months in prison for incitement to hatred, defamation and insult. She did not begin serving the sentence, however, having fled Germany. Czech authorities did not apprehend her until this year.

(mja)