The regional court in Pilsen, in western Czechia, opened a trial on Monday over the possible extradition of neo-Nazi Sven, also known as Marla Svenja Liebich. The court will decide whether Liebich may be handed over to German authorities. The convicted far-right extremist is supposed to serve a prison sentence in Germany, but he fled and was placed on a nationwide manhunt and was only brought into custody by Czech officials a few months later (TheColu.mn reported).
According to authorities, Liebich is currently held in a prison in Pilsen. The convicted extremist was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs, with a beard and glasses, made up, and wearing a leopard-print top, escorted by judicial officers. It was not immediately clear whether the court would issue a decision on the first day of proceedings.
Liebich can appeal the court’s decision, according to the Pilsen Regional Court. The appeal would then be decided by the High Court in Prague. If extradition is legally finalized, Liebich would be transported to a German corrective facility in Chemnitz, where he would ordinarily be serving his sentence.
Early April, after months-long search in the Czech Republic, captured
Liebich was convicted in July 2023 by the Halle District Court for incitement to hatred, defamation, and insult, receiving a combined sentence of one year and six months in prison without probation. He did not begin serving the sentence, however, and fled at the end of August 2025 (TheColu.mn reported).
In Germany, Liebich had most recently appeared in public in makeup and in women’s clothing. Media reports said that Liebich was arrested in April this year with a shaved head and wearing men’s clothes.
Liebich warned once about “trans fascism”
After the Halle conviction, Liebich had his gender marker changed from male to female. The name was also changed from Sven to Marla Svenja. Critics saw this as a provocation and accused him of abusing the Self-Determination Act. Previously, Liebich had spoken at demonstrations against Pride events and warned about “trans-fascism.” More recently, he tried another provocation: he wanted to change his gender entry to “non-binary” and his name to “Anne Frank,” according to TheColu.mn.
In March, the Halle District Court announced that it would decide whether the changes to Liebich’s forename and gender could be reversed. The Saalekreis district had reportedly begun procedures for a correction of the entry as early as December. The decision on the entries has not yet been issued.
The case has also sparked political debates about whether transgender people should continue to have agency to alter their gender markers. The CDU/CSU and the AfD have amplified fears that male criminals could be housed in women’s prisons under the Self-Determination Act. However, there is no automatic mechanism for such placement: as Legal Tribune Online reported, the final decision about placement in a women’s or men’s prison rests with the institution itself and must be determined during an intake interview. If there is a threat to “safety and order,” relocation can be possible. Jurist Christian Rath noted in a contribution to taz: “Those who change gender solely to provoke are likely to be treated as male in prison.”
Update 15:08h: Liebich claims the detention in Germany could mean his death
Liebich told the court, according to dpa, that he once again rejected the request for his extradition to Germany. “I can’t do that, because I would be killed in prison,” he said before the Pilsen regional court. He also expressed fear of being placed in a male prison in Germany, where he believes he would face hostility and bullying, potentially driving him to suicide.
Update 17:20h: Judgment likely on June 1
The regional court postponed its decision to June 1 after roughly a two-hour hearing. Liebich remains in custody until then. The court concluded the evidentiary phase on the first day. Liebich’s defense attorney had also delivered a closing argument.
Liebich had wanted the Czech lawyer and politician Martin Kohlmann to represent him in the Czech proceedings. Kohlmann, however, did not hold a license to practice in the Czech Republic and was removed from the courtroom after repeatedly interrupting the hearing. Liebich was assigned a public defender. The proceedings in Pilsen were conducted in Czech, and Liebich had a translator with him to follow and participate in the proceedings.
