Neo-Nazi switches gender to serve time in women’s prison

His criminal convictions span multiple cases involving incitement to hatred, defamation and assault.

By Aaron Sull, Jewish Breaking News

A convicted German neo-Nazi will serve his 18-month prison sentence in a women’s facility after using the country’s new gender self-identification law to officially change his identity from male to female.

Sven Liebich, who now goes by Marla-Svenja on official documents, will be sent to Chemnitz women’s prison in Saxony, according to local media reports.

Liebich was sentenced in July 2023 for several offenses including slander and incitement to hatred. German courts rejected his final appeal earlier this year, clearing the way for his incarceration.

The 53-year-old has been a central figure in Germany’s far-right extremist movement since the mid-1990s, when he emerged as a key organizer for the Saxony-Anhalt branch of Blood and Honour, an international neo-Nazi network.

Operating from his base in Halle, Liebich built a mail-order business distributing right-wing rock music and merchandise before founding the blog “Halle Leaks” to spread conspiracy theories and attacks on mainstream media, which he regularly denounced as “Lügenpresse” (lying press).

He has often been photographed wearing Nazi-style armbands bearing the inscription “Sicherheits-Abteilung,” a direct reference to the SA stormtroopers of Hitler’s regime.

His criminal convictions span multiple cases involving incitement to hatred, defamation and assault.

Among his most provocative acts was selling baseball bats online marketed as “deportation aids” and distributing Star of David patches inscribed with “ungeimpft” (unvaccinated) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prison officials confirmed their decision to house Liebich at a women’s facility was based on his registered gender rather than biological sex, following protocols established under Germany’s gender self-identification policies implemented in November 2024.

However, senior Saxony prosecutor Dennis Cernota noted that Liebich would face an interview upon arrival to determine whether placement among female prisoners remains appropriate.

“If it is decided that Liebich poses a threat to other inmates, or to law and order inside the prison, he may be transferred,” Cernota said.