Plzeň court ordered extradition of neo-Nazi Liebich to Germany
The Plzeň regional court has ruled that convicted far-right extremist Marla Svenja Liebich is to be extradited to Germany.
Plzeň court ordered extradition of neo-Nazi Liebich to Germany
The regional court in Plzeň has ordered the extradition of convicted far-right extremist Marla Svenja Liebich to Germany. However, the ruling is not yet final. The fifty-five-year-old woman can appeal against it, according to the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung
Liebich stated during the court hearing that she does not wish to be extradited. Her defence lawyer, shortly after the ruling was announced, said she was considering filing an appeal. The state prosecutor, conversely, announced that she was waiving her right to appeal. Any potential appeal would have to be handled by the Supreme Court in Prague.
Before the ruling was announced, Liebich filed a motion challenging the impartiality of the court panel chairman, but it was rejected.
The extremist was arrested on 9 April of this year following months of pan-European manhunt in the Czech town of Schönbach near Aš, close to the German border. She is currently being held in pre-extradition detention in the remand prison in Plzeň. The conditions there are considered harsh.
In court, Liebich testified that she does not wish to return to Germany because she fears she will lose her life in a men's prison. Following a final ruling, she is to be handed over to German authorities and transferred to a prison in Chemnitz. There, Saxon justice would take over. The facility director would then have to assess whether she actually serves her sentence in a women's prison.
Liebich was sentenced in July 2023 by the Halle district court to one year and six months' imprisonment without suspension for incitement to hatred against a group of persons, defamation, and insult. At that time, she was still presenting as a man with the name Sven. After her conviction, she had her gender and name changed. The Halle court is now considering whether these changes can be reversed.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung