Liberland Explained

Liberland, also known as the Free Republic of Liberland, is a micronation promoted by Czech right-libertarian politician and activist Vít Jedlička,[1] [2] who began claiming in 2015 that an uninhabited stretch of floodplain on the Croatian bank of the Danube (known as Gornja Siga), is the territory of a new independent country. Not recognized by any country, it has since become one of the best known examples of a micronation. Jedlička was inspired by classical liberal thinkers such as Ludwig von Mises and Ayn Rand, and he envisioned a political system characterised by laissez-faire capitalism, minimal government, and an economy based on cryptocurrency.[3]

The official website of Liberland states that the nation was created in the wake of the ongoing Croatia–Serbia border dispute.[4] [5] [6] According to Jedlička, this dispute resulted in a plot of land west of the Danube being unclaimed by either side.[5] The parcel of land in question is 7km2 in area, roughly the same size as Gibraltar. It has been administered by Croatia since the Croatian War of Independence.[7] Liberland has no diplomatic recognition from any recognized nation.[8] The land lacks infrastructure and lies on the floodplain of the Danube.[9] [10] Croatia has frequently blocked off access to the Gornja Siga territory since 2015. As a result, a number of people, including Vít Jedlička, have been arrested for trying to enter the claimed land.[11]

Location

The dispute regarding the border along the Danube River valley first arose in 1947 but was left unresolved during the existence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It became a contentious issue after the break-up of Yugoslavia. Serbia holds the opinion that the thalweg of the Danube valley and the centre line of the river represents the international border between the two countries. Croatia disagrees and claims that the international border lies along the boundaries of the cadastral municipalities located along the riverdeparting from the course at several pointsreflecting the course of the Danube which existed in the 19th century before meandering and hydraulic engineering works altered its course. As a result, Croatia claims a large part of the disputed area controlled by Serbia, while Serbia does not claim the much smaller parts controlled by Croatia. Jedlička says that the land he has claimed, known as Gornja Siga (meaning 'upper tufa') was not claimed by either side.[12]

The area is about about the size of Gibraltarand most of it is covered in forest with no residents. A journalist from the Czech newspaper , who visited the area in April 2015, found a house that had been abandoned for about thirty years, according to people living in the vicinity. The access road was reported to be in a bad condition.[13] The Danube, an international waterway with free access to the Black Sea for several landlocked nations, runs along the self-proclaimed territory.

History

Proclamation

Jedlička is a member of the Czech Party of Free Citizens, which bases its values on the classical liberal ideology. According to him, since no nation claims the land as its own, he could therefore could claim it using the terra nullius doctrine; the borders, he argued, respected both Croatia and Serbia's sovereignty.[14] He intended the state to be a tax-free haven. He had reportedly consulted Wikipedia's page regarding unclaimed territories, shown to him by his libertarian friend, in selecting a spot to proclaim the micronation.[15]

Proposed governance

The founders claim to have been inspired by countries like Monaco and Liechtenstein. On 18 December 2015, Jedlička held an event at which he presented the first provisional government of Liberland and its ministers of finance, foreign affairs, interior and justice as well as two vice presidents.[16] Despite Jedlička spending more than $400,000 on blockchain-based election software, no elections have subsequently been held. Jedlička had been elected President in 2015 by his girlfriend and one other individual. [17]

Attempts to access territory

Croatian authorities have frequently blocked access to the area since the beginning of May 2015.[18] [19] In May 2015, Vít Jedlička and his translator Sven Sambunjak were briefly detained by Croatian police after making an attempt to cross the border. Jedlička spent one night in detention and then was convicted and ordered to pay a fine for illegal crossing of the Croatian border[20] but appealed the verdict. He claimed that there were at least three Liberland citizens inside the area, who came from Switzerland.[21] [22] [23] [24] Later that month, Vít Jedlička was detained again.[25] Initially, reporters were able to enter the area with Jedlička but subsequently they were also denied entry, including journalists from the Serbian public broadcast service Radio Television of Vojvodina,[26] and from the Bosnian newspaper Dnevni avaz.[27]

The detained were from various countries, including the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Denmark, and the United States. Croatian police have continued detaining people, including those that entered the area by boat (via an international waterway).[28] [29] [30] One of them, Danish activist Ulrik Grøssel Haagensen, was placed in house arrest for 5 days before being sentenced to 15 days of prison, triggering some protests in Denmark.[31] [32] In May 2016, several appeals court decisions from Croatia were published. The court upheld that the crossings from Croatia were illegal, but found the convictions for crossings from Serbia improper. The court said that the lower court committed "a fundamental breach of misdemeanour proceedings" and "essential procedural violations". It further ruled that "the facts were incorrectly and incompletely established [by the prosecutor] which could lead to misapplication of substantive law". A retrial was ordered in 6 of the 7 appeals. The lower court is required to determine the location of the border and the border crossing.[33]

Repeated attempts at settlement

In April 2023, YouTuber Niko Omilana—together with a collaborator—went past the Croatian border police using jet skis, entering the disputed territory to plant a flag. They were both confronted by a policeman who forced them to lie down on the ground and kicked them, but they were ultimately released. The footage was uploaded on YouTube in July of the same year, and received millions of views the following days, as well as coverage in Croatian and Serbian media.[34] [35] During August 2023, Liberland movement supporters and journalists managed to obtain unofficial access to the land parcel.[36] [37] However, this was brought to an end on 21 September 2023, as Croatian police launched an intervention. During the police action, some makeshift wooden buildings, which the Liberland supporters had constructed earlier, were taken down. Liberland supporters also complained about confiscations of property.[38] [39] Croatian police has confirmed that they secured the location during the work with the demolition, and made three arrests, according to Dnevnik Nove TV. Jedlička was banned from entering Croatia and Gornja Siga for five years due to 'extremist activities'.[40] By November 2023, some supporters had returned to the territory, setting up camp on a river island adjacent to the Danube which lay within their claimed territory.[41]

As of March 2024, Liberland had 1,200 registered 'citizens' who had paid up to $10,000 to obtain Liberlandian passports, and 735,000 citizenship requests. People who accessed the claimed territory of Liberland and stayed for at least a week qualified for free citizenship status and was eligible to earn “Liberland Merits”, a Liberlander cryptocurrency, if they helped with construction on the territory, which included 'Liberland's first house'. More than 200 people successfully accessed the territory during Jedlička's attempt to land on Liberland in March.

Public reactions

Journalists have been uncertain as to how serious Jedlička is about his claims, with some calling it a publicity stunt.[42] [43] On 20 May 2015, Petr Mach, the leader of the Party of Free Citizens, expressed support for the creation of a state based on ideas of freedom, adding that the Party of Free Citizens wants the Czech Republic to become a similarly free country.[44] Goran Vojković, professor of law and columnist from the Croatian news portal Index.hr, described Liberland as a "circus which threatens Croatian territory", and argued that there was a risk that Croatia's claim to control land on the other side of the Danube may be weakened by the attention that the Liberland project has drawn to the border dispute.[45] In 2016, an article in Stratfor summarized the initiative as follows: "Liberland is a curious case because, in principle, none of the actors that could claim control over it seems interested in doing so. But this will probably remain a curiosity with negligible consequences at the international level. For the rest of the world's disputed territories, violence and diplomacy will remain the main tools to claim ownership."[46]

Business operations

Liberland has been involved in several commercial operations, including the issuing of coins and postage stamps[47] and various activities in the cryptocurrency industry.[48] The micronation also relies on voluntary donations and taxation. Liberland reported $1.5 million in annual income according to financial reports released by Liberland in 2023.[49] More than 99% of Liberland's reserves are held in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, which policy experts stated as 'unwise'. Christopher Carr, a lecturer in cryptography and blockchain at Exeter University, stated that Liberland risked the same challenges El Salvador faced since it adopted bitcoin as a currency in 2021.[50]

Legal analysis and lack of diplomatic recognition

Both Croatia and Serbia have dismissed Jedlička's claims as frivolous.[51] While the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the affair to be a trivial matter, it affirmed that Liberland did not infringe upon its sovereignty. In contrast, Croatia, which currently administers the land in question, has found the idea "provocative" and suggested bringing it to a stop even if by force; rejecting the idea that the land is terra nullius, it has stated that after international arbitration, the land should be awarded to Croatia or Serbia, not to a third party.[52] [53] The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also disassociated itself from the activities of Jedlička, finding them inappropriate, illegal, and potentially harmful, and has asked him to respect local law.[54] [55] Legal experts in both Serbia and Croatia have asserted that, under international law, Jedlička lacks the right to claim the area.[56] [57]

There has been no diplomatic recognition of Liberland by any member nation-state of the United Nations. Jedlička has visited another unrecognized republic, Somaliland, a self-declared state that proclaimed its independence from Somalia in 1991, and discussed mutual recognition with them.[58] A few micronations – the Kingdom of Enclava, the Kingdom of North Sudan, and the Principality of Sealand – have expressed support for the idea of Liberland.[59] [60] Liberland has recently pursued closer relations with Argentina after the election of libertarian president Javier Milei, who had previously mentioned Liberland at a convention in 2019.[61]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Lewis-Kraus. Gideon. 2015-08-11. Welcome to Liberland, the World's Newest Country (Maybe). The New York Times. 2022-02-07. 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: (EXCLUSIVE) President Vít Jedlička of Free Republic of Liberland has presented first members of government . 20 December 2015 .
  3. Web site: Liberland: Could the world's newest micronation get off the ground? . 25 April 2015 .
  4. News: Balkans: Czech man claims to establish 'new state'. BBC News. 16 April 2015. 17 April 2015.
  5. News: Martínek. Jan. Člen Svobodných vyhlásil na území bývalé Jugoslávie vlastní stát. 15 April 2015. Právo. Novinky.cz. 15 April 2015. cs.
  6. News: Čech si medzi Srbskom a Chorvátskom založil vlastný štát. 15 April 2015. TASR. sme.sk. 15 April 2015. sk.
  7. Book: War and Peace on the Danube: The Evolution of the Croatia-Serbia Boundary. Mladen. Klemenčić. Clive H.. Schofield. International Boundaries Research Unit. Durham, England. 9781897643419. 2001. 19.
  8. News: 7 August 2021. Liberland, a country that may not exist, says it hopes to build close ties to Trump White House. The Washington Post. 0190-8286.
  9. Web site: Palmeri . Tara . Looking for Liberland . Politico . 2 September 2016.
  10. Web site: Liberland, medijska bomba koja zabavlja stanovnike 'države'. 23 April 2015. Al Jazeera Balkans.
  11. News: Gajic . Iva . Heil . Andy . Wedged Away in the Balkans, Would-Be Microstate 'Liberland' Keeps Up Its Fight For Recognition . 6 May 2023 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . 25 July 2022.
  12. News: Nolan. Daniel. Welcome to Liberland: Europe's Newest State. 25 April 2015. Vice News. 25 April 2015.
  13. News: Panenka. Radim. Navštívili jsme nový stát Liberland, který v Evropě založil Čech Vít Jedlička. Podívejte se, jak to tam vypadá. 20 April 2015. Parlamentní Listy. 20 April 2015. cs.
  14. News: Čeh proglasio državu između Srbije i Hrvatske. 15 April 2015. BETA. B92. 15 April 2015. sr.
  15. Web site: Liberland . Matthew Campbell . 2024-06-25 . The man who invented a country and made himself president . 2024-06-25 . www.thetimes.com . en.
  16. Web site: 20 December 2015 . (EXCLUSIVE) President Vít Jedlička of Free Republic of Liberland has presented first members of government . 3 September 2021 . Telegraf.rs . sr.
  17. Web site: Smith . Adam . 2023-09-25 . Breakaway Balkans micronation dreams of a crypto future . 2024-07-24 . The Japan Times . en.
  18. News: Police in the Balkans block inauguration of Europe's new "mini-state". 9 May 2015. Associated Press. 9 May 2015.
  19. News: Ristić. Borislav. Putovanje u Liberland zasad stoji 2400 kuna – tolika je kazna za ilegalni prijelaz granice. 12 May 2015. Večernji List. 11 May 2015. hr.
  20. News: Getto. Ivica. Osnivač Liberlanda kažnjen s 2400 kuna za ilegalni prelazak hrvatske granice. 11 May 2015. Glas Slavonije. 11 May 2015. hr.
  21. News: Wirnitzer. Jan. Jedličkova bitva u Moháče. Všichni nám tu fandí, říká tvůrce Liberlandu. 24 May 2015. iDnes. 11 May 2015. cs.
  22. News: Ristić. Borislav. Vid Jedlička uhićen nakon ulaska na teritorij Liberlanda. 10 May 2015. Večernji List. 9 May 2015. hr.
  23. News: Třeček. Čeněk. Sedlářová. Barbora. Chorvatsko zatklo "prezidenta" Liberlandu. Bylo to přátelské, tvrdí Čech. 10 May 2015. iDnes. 10 May 2015. cs.
  24. News: Hayden. Sally. President of Liberland Arrested for Trespassing into His Own Self-Declared Country. 11 May 2015. Vice News. 11 May 2015.
  25. News: Croatia: Liberland's president arrested again. 24 May 2015. inSerbia. 17 May 2015.
  26. News: Spasojević. Vesna. Liberlend, zemlja koje – nema. 18 April 2015. Radio Televizija Vojvodine. 17 April 2015. sr.
  27. News: Trako. Evelin. Potraga Za Liberlandom Reporteri "Avaza" na ničijoj zemlji između Srbije i Hrvatske. 26 April 2015. Dnevni Avaz. 26 April 2015. bs. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160428162402/http://www.avaz.ba/clanak/174932/potraga-za-liberlandom-reporteri-avaza-na-nicijoj-zemlji-izmedu-srbije-i-hrvatske. 28 April 2016.
  28. Web site: Igrali odbojku na 'plaži u Liberlandu' pa ih uhitila hrvatska policija. Vecernji.hr . 13 June 2015 . 23 December 2015.
  29. News: Bradarić. Branimir. Liberland optužuje Hrvatsku za invaziju. 20 June 2015. Večernji List. 20 June 2015. hr.
  30. News: Hayden. Sally. Liberland Accuses Croatia of Invasion and Releases Video of 'Citizen' Abduction. 20 June 2015. Vice. 19 June 2015.
  31. Web site: Dansk mand anholdt efter indtrængen i 'Ingenmandsland'. Rådhuspladsen 37 1785 København V. Telefon: 33111313. Fax: 33141000. ekstrabladet.dk. 23 June 2015.
  32. Web site: Hvorfor sidder danske Ulrik i et mørkt fangehul på Balkan?. Folkets.
  33. Web site: Important Step to Statehood? Croatia Appeals Court Rules in Favour of Liberland. 3 September 2021. Total-croatia-news.com. 3 May 2016 .
  34. News: Veliki hit na Youtubeu: Pokušao ući u 'zabranjenu zemlju', pa dobio batine od naše policije!. 31 July 2023. 4 August 2023. Jutarnji List.
  35. News: Pokušao da uđe u "zabranjenu zemlju": Hrvatska policija pretukla Jutjubera VIDEO. 31 July 2023. 4 August 2023. B92.
  36. News: Beljan . Mateja . Ekipa Telegrafa uplovila u Liberland s pečatom nove "države": Od avanture u džungli do ozbiljne svetske priče . 23 August 2023 . Telegraf.rs . 20 August 2023 . sr.
  37. News: Devčić . Matej . Telegram je prvi ušao u Liberland. Ovi ljudi ne odustaju: 'Doselit ćemo u našu državu između Hrvatske i Srbije' . 23 August 2023 . Telegram.hr . 23 August 2023 . hr.
  38. News: Hrvatska policija upala u Liberland: 'Napad bez upozorenja, uzeli su nam stvari' . 24 September 2023 . Dnevno.hr . 24 September 2023 . hr.
  39. News: VIDEO Troje uhićenih uz primjenu sile u Liberlandu: "Samo želim da mi pokažete identifikaciju" . 26 September 2023 . Dnevnik.hr . 26 September 2023 . hr.
  40. Web site: Liberland . Matthew Campbell . 2024-06-25 . The man who invented a country and made himself president . 2024-06-25 . www.thetimes.com . en.
  41. Web site: Bradbury . Paul . 2023-11-12 . Life in Liberland: Helicopters, Weddings, Chapels, Saunas & MMA . 2024-06-25 . Total Croatia . en-US.
  42. News: Simone. Alina. On the Danube, the world's newest micro-nation. But Liberland has a problem.. 18 July 2015. 29 June 2015. 18 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181118211658/http://www.wlrn.org/post/danube-worlds-newest-micro-nation-liberland-has-problem. dead.
  43. News: Man forms own European country and more than 160,000 people want – trouble is, you can't get in . 11 May 2015. 24 April 2015.
  44. Web site: Petr Mach | ParlamentniListy.cz. Parlamentnilisty.cz . 23 December 2015.
  45. News: Vojković. Goran. Liberland je Srbija!. 14 May 2015. index.hr. 12 May 2015. hr.
  46. Web site: Introducing Liberland, Europe's Newest Country. https://web.archive.org/web/20191011211408/https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/introducing-liberland-europes-newest-country. 11 October 2019. stratfor.com. Stratfor. 24 October 2016. 25 September 2016.
  47. Web site: 2015-10-07 . Man creates Liberland postal stamps - Taipei Times . 2024-07-09 . www.taipeitimes.com.
  48. Khalili . Joel . A Crypto Micronation's Future Hangs on a Border Dispute . 2024-07-09 . Wired . en-US . 1059-1028.
  49. Web site: Saberin . Navid . February 2024 . Summary Annual Report 2023 .
  50. Web site: Smith . Adam . Breakaway Balkans micronation dreams of crypto future Context . 2024-07-09 . www.context.news . en.
  51. News: McKirdy . Euan . 25 April 2015 . Liberland: Could the world's newest micronation get off the ground? . 25 April 2015 . CNN.
  52. Web site: Mađarska – MVEP • On Virtual Narratives at Croatia's Borders . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200921144916/http://hu.mvep.hr/hu/hirek/on-virtual-narratives-at-croatia%E2%80%99s-borders,30113.html . 21 September 2020 . 9 June 2016 . hu.mvep.hr.
  53. Republic of Croatia Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Minister Dr. Miro Kovač Class: 212-03/15-01/1, NO: 521 – V- 02/16-9, Zagreb, 12 May 2016
  54. Web site: 14 May 2015 . Prohlášení MZV ke kauze tzv. Liberlandu . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518003048/http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/cz/udalosti_a_media/prohlaseni_a_stanoviska/x2015_05_14_prohlaseni_mzv_ke_kauze.html . 18 May 2015 . 8 June 2016 . Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  55. News: 15 May 2015 . Upozornění Velvyslanectví ČR k cestám do tzv. "Liberlandu" . 24 May 2015 . Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs . cs.
  56. News: 10 May 2015 . Croatian police question Czech leader of wannabe country 'Liberland'. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160126202617/http://praguepost.com/world-news/47706-croatian-police-question-czech-man-heading-liberland . 26 January 2016 . 18 July 2015.
  57. News: 11 May 2015 . Liberland's leader detained while trying to enter the country he just invented . 19 July 2015.
  58. Web site: Somaliland says it wants closer cooperation with unrecognised Liberland. BBC News. 11 October 2017. 26 September 2017.
  59. Web site: Romero . Luiz . 13 November 2015 . Welcome to Liberland: Turns out, launching your own country is harder than it looks . 3 September 2021 . Quartz.
  60. Web site: Jackson . Joe . Creating a kingdom . 3 September 2021 . Al Jazeera.
  61. Web site: Liberland: the micronation building bridges with Javier Milei Buenos Aires Times . 2024-07-09 . www.batimes.com.ar.