Neo-Nazi Sent to Men's Prison in Germany Despite Changing Documents to Female

The German prison administration has decided to transfer convicted neo-Nazi Sven Liebich, who previously legally changed their gender to female and took the name Marla-Svenja, to a men’s correctional facility. As reported by Deutsche Welle , this decision was made to ensure the safety of other inmates, including women.

In July 2023, Liebich was sentenced to 18 months in prison for incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult. One of the incidents involved selling baseball bats inscribed with “deportation helpers.” Liebich is known for long-term activity in Germany’s far-right movement and regular participation in homophobic and queerphobic actions.

In 2025, after the entry into force of the self-determination law, which allows changing the gender marker once a year, Liebich changed their name and registered as female in documents. Many activists and lawyers called this move a provocation and an attempt to mock the new law, which Liebich themselves opposed, as well as an opportunity to avoid confinement in a men’s prison. Authorities cannot reverse the legal transition.

The prison sentence was scheduled to begin in August 2025 in a women’s prison in Chemnitz. However, Marla-Svenja Liebich fled justice and left Germany. In 2026, Czech authorities found and arrested Liebich under a European arrest warrant. Recently, the neo-Nazi was extradited back to Germany and initially placed in a women’s distribution center.

Under German law, prison administrations have the right to place inmates not only based on their documents but also based on security considerations. Following an interview and risk assessment, the management of the distribution center concluded that Liebich could pose a threat to other inmates (including transgender women) and redirected them to a men’s prison. This decision was also supported by the Justice Minister of Saxony.

The German Ministry of Justice is currently conducting an investigation into a possible abuse of the self-determination law by Liebich.