A convicted German transgender right-wing extremist, who has been on the run for months, has been arrested in the Czech Republic. Liebich was arrested on the basis of a European arrest warrant in Krásná, located about 100km (62 miles) east of Prague.
In August 2025, Marla-Svenja Liebich, formerly known as Sven, failed to appear at the prison in Chemnitz, Germany, where she was to serve an 18-month sentence for her crimes. Reports indicate that Liebich was a former member of the neo-Nazi group Blood and Honour.
Liebich was sentenced in July 2023 by the Halle District Court in Saxon-Anhalt to a year and a half in prison without parole for extreme right incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult, but she lost her appeal against the sentence.
At the end of 2024, Liebich changed her gender entry in official records from male to female following Germany's Self-Determination Act, which allows individuals to change their gender marker and name easily. However, her transition raised suspicions of misuse of the law, especially after Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt claimed it was an 'abuse' of the system.
Upon her arrest, reports indicated that Liebich was wearing men's clothing and had a shaved head, further complicating perceptions of her gender identity. She reportedly attempted to avoid capture briefly before being taken into custody.
A spokesperson from the Halle public prosecutor's office confirmed that Liebich is now in custody and is expected to be extradited to Germany, continuing an intense public debate regarding the intersection of identity and extremism.
In August 2025, Marla-Svenja Liebich, formerly known as Sven, failed to appear at the prison in Chemnitz, Germany, where she was to serve an 18-month sentence for her crimes. Reports indicate that Liebich was a former member of the neo-Nazi group Blood and Honour.
Liebich was sentenced in July 2023 by the Halle District Court in Saxon-Anhalt to a year and a half in prison without parole for extreme right incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult, but she lost her appeal against the sentence.
At the end of 2024, Liebich changed her gender entry in official records from male to female following Germany's Self-Determination Act, which allows individuals to change their gender marker and name easily. However, her transition raised suspicions of misuse of the law, especially after Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt claimed it was an 'abuse' of the system.
Upon her arrest, reports indicated that Liebich was wearing men's clothing and had a shaved head, further complicating perceptions of her gender identity. She reportedly attempted to avoid capture briefly before being taken into custody.
A spokesperson from the Halle public prosecutor's office confirmed that Liebich is now in custody and is expected to be extradited to Germany, continuing an intense public debate regarding the intersection of identity and extremism.
