https://i.seadn.io/s/raw/files/3e4aa4f9b89c0df78ea75de9802dca0d.jpg?auto=format&dpr=1
The Free Republic of Liberland, also known simply as Liberland, is a self-proclaimed micronation founded by Czech politician Vít Jedlička in 2015. It is located on a disputed stretch of land along the Danube River, specifically in an area known as Gornja Siga. This territory is claimed by neither Croatia nor Serbia due to an ongoing border dispute that dates back to 1947. The area covers approximately 7 square kilometers (about 2.7 square miles) and is largely uninhabited, consisting mainly of forests, meadows, and swamps that are often flooded. The land is administered by Croatia, which has frequently blocked access to it, leading to multiple arrests of individuals attempting to enter.
Jedlička’s vision for Liberland is based on libertarian principles, advocating for minimal government, laissez-faire capitalism, and an economy centered around cryptocurrency. He claims the land under the doctrine of terra nullius, arguing that since no nation claims it, he can assert sovereignty. However, both Croatia and Serbia have dismissed his claims, with Croatia considering them provocative and asserting that the land should be resolved through international arbitration.
The border dispute became contentious after the breakup of Yugoslavia, with Serbia asserting that the thalweg of the Danube represents the international border, while Croatia claims the border follows the boundaries of cadastral municipalities along the river. This disagreement has led to conflicting claims over the territory.
Proclamation
Liberland was officially proclaimed on April 13, 2015, and in a vote held on April 20, 2015, Jedlička was reportedly elected president by three votes from the “founding members.” He cited the increasing influence of interest groups on state functioning and the resulting poorer living conditions as motivations for establishing the micronation, drawing inspiration from classical liberal thinkers like Ludwig von Mises and Ayn Rand, as well as small states like Monaco and Liechtenstein.
Provisional Government
On December 18, 2015, Jedlička announced the formation of a provisional government, which included ministers of finance, foreign affairs, interior, and justice, as well as two vice presidents. Despite spending over $400,000 on blockchain-based election software, no elections have been held since then, and Jedlička was initially elected president by just two individuals.
Citizenship
The micronation has engaged in various commercial activities, including issuing coins and postage stamps, and has reported significant income, primarily from cryptocurrency holdings. As of March 2024, Liberland had approximately 1,200 registered “citizens” who paid up to $10,000 for citizenship, with a total of 735,000 citizenship requests received. People who accessed the claimed territory and stayed for at least a week qualified for free citizenship status and could earn “Liberland Merits,” a cryptocurrency, for helping with construction projects.
Reactions
Reactions to Liberland have varied. Croatian and Serbian officials have dismissed Jedlička’s claims as frivolous, with Croatia labeling the idea as provocative and suggesting it should be stopped, even by force. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs has distanced itself from Jedlička’s activities, deeming them inappropriate and potentially harmful. Despite the lack of diplomatic recognition from any country, Liberland has attracted attention from some libertarian circles and has pursued relationships with other unrecognized entities, including discussions with Somaliland about mutual recognition.
The situation surrounding Liberland raises complex questions about sovereignty, self-determination, and the nature of micronations within the framework of international law and relations. The ongoing border dispute and the lack of infrastructure in the claimed territory further complicate the legitimacy and viability of Liberland as a functioning state.
English Wikipedia page
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 an example 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][7] The parcel of land in question is 7 km2 (2.7 sq mi) in area, roughly the same size as Gibraltar. It has been administered by Croatia since the Croatian War of Independence.[8] Liberland has no diplomatic recognition from any recognized nation.[9] The land lacks infrastructure and lies on the floodplain of the Danube.[10][11] 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.[12]
Location
Further information: Croatia–Serbia border dispute
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 river – departing from the course at several points – reflecting 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.[7][5]
The area is about 700 hectares (1,700 acres)—about the size of Gibraltar—and most of it is covered in forest with no residents. A journalist from the Czech newspaper Parlamentní listy [cs], 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
Green areas to the west of the river are claimed by neither (Croatia asserts that the green parts are part of Serbia, but Serbia does not claim them).
This led Jedlička to assert that the green parts have remained unclaimed by both sides; the territory claimed by Liberland is the largest green-coloured land parcel, marked as “Siga” on the map.
Jedlička is a member of the Czech Party of Free Citizens, which bases its values on the classical liberal ideology.[5] 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.[14] 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[13] 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.[19] 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][needs update]
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.[39] 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.[15]
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.[51] 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.[18][56][57]
There has been no diplomatic recognition of Liberland by any member nation-state of the United Nations.[9] 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] Several micronations – the Kingdom of Enclava, the Kingdom of North Sudan, and the Principality of Sealand – have expressed support for the idea of Liberland.[46][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
Source: Liberland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liberland&oldid=1248552730 (last visited Oct. 6, 2024).
German Wikipedia page
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Location_Liberland_Europe.png
The Free Republic of Liberland (Czech: Svobodná Republika Liberland, English: Free Republic of Liberland) is an internationally unrecognized micronation that is claimed to be located on an uninhabited piece of land along the Danube River. Although the area is administered by Croatia, it is designated as Serbian territory. Serbia has stated that the area does not belong to it. The declared purpose of the state is to create a tax haven.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Croatia_Serbia_border_Backa_Baranja.svg
Liberland claims the green area designated as Siga as its territory. The yellow areas are claimed by Croatia and Serbia due to border disputes—while the green part is under Croatian control, Croatia designates it as Serbian territory, which Serbia rejects.
History
Background
Liberland was proclaimed on April 13, 2015, by Vít Jedlička, a leading member of the libertarian Czech minor party, the Party of Free Citizens. In a vote held on April 20, 2015, Jedlička was reportedly elected president of Liberland with three votes in his favor from the “founding members.”
According to Jedlička, neither Serbia nor Croatia is interested in the approximately seven square kilometers of land in question, which he claims makes it a terra nullius. He cited the “increasing influence of interest groups on the functioning of states and the resulting poorer living conditions for people” as reasons for establishing the state. He drew inspiration from countries like Monaco and Liechtenstein.
The uninhabited area of Gornja Siga lies between an old side arm and the main arm of the Danube. It consists of forests, meadows, and swamps that are often flooded. The nearest significant settlement on the Croatian side is the town of Beli Manastir, located about 20 kilometers away, while the town of Apatin is closer on the Serbian side. The only existing structure is a long-abandoned and now dilapidated hunting lodge.
Further Developments
At the end of April 2015, the “settlement” of the area was set to begin. Jedlička planned to construct roads and port facilities first. On May 10, 2015, he was temporarily arrested by Croatian officials while attempting to enter his “territory” despite a prohibition. Dozens of others were also prevented from “entering.”
Constitution and Flag
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Flag_of_Liberland.svg
The motto of Liberland is “live and let live.” The constitution is designed to protect the personal and economic freedoms of its citizens according to libertarian and minarchist principles. In Liberland, no taxes are to be levied, and there will be no central bank; instead, it aims to promote currency competition and the use of cryptocurrencies.
The flag of Liberland features a horizontal black stripe on a yellow background, with the coat of arms of Liberland at its center. The yellow represents the free market, while the black symbolizes rebellion. The coat of arms includes a bird as a symbol of freedom, a tree representing wealth and abundance, and a river representing the Danube.
“Citizens” via Website
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Liberland_Citizenship_Certificate.jpg
It is possible to apply for citizenship of the micronation through Liberland’s official website. The only requirement is that the applicant is “neither a communist, nor a Nazi, nor another extremist.” Within just two days, 18,729 applications had been received from 184 countries. Jedlička expected up to 100,000 requests within two weeks, but the naturalization process is intended to be selective, initially accepting only 3,000 to 5,000 individuals. By two weeks in, over 300,000 people had registered worldwide. Citizenship is said to cost $10,000 in Bitcoin.
Reactions
Reactions from Other States
- Republic of Croatia: Croatian diplomats referred to “virtual border violators,” stating that the “satirical state” exists only online. They declared that “virtual jokes, however interesting they may sound, remain just virtual jokes and will therefore not be officially commented on.”
- Republic of Serbia: The Serbian Foreign Minister stated that the area claimed by Liberland is outside Serbia’s borders and that the “entertaining performance” requires no further comment.
- Arab Republic of Egypt: The Egyptian Foreign Ministry advised potential Egyptian emigrants to Liberland to exercise caution and restraint, urging them to trust only information from the Egyptian state and not from social networks.
- Czech Republic: The Czech Foreign Ministry distanced itself from the activities, stating that Jedlička, like any other Czech citizen in Croatia and Serbia, is obliged to respect local laws. They deemed his activities inappropriate and potentially harmful.
Other Reactions
On April 16, 2015, Jedlička claimed to have met with an ambassador from Austria.
Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberland loaded 07.10.2024
Memorendum of Understanding with Somaliland
The Free Republic of Liberland has successfully begun the mutual recognition process with the Republic of Somaliland and commenced cooperation on a number of important fronts.
On 25.09.2017, Vice President of Somaliland H.E. Abdirahman Abdilaahi Ismail, Somaliland Trade and Investment Minister H.E. Omar Shoaib Mohamed, Liberland Minister of Protocol Dr. Tariq Abbasi KGCIOM MBE DL and Liberland President Vít Jedlička signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Somaliland and Liberland governments.
“IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Republic of Somaliland and the Government of the Free Republic of Liberland on above stated cooperation.”
The reason this could be seen as a recognition is because the “above stated cooperation” was stated to be between two countries, twice.
“Today we will sign the Memorandum of Understanding between our two countries”
“We are looking forward to a longstanding cooperation between our countries.”
Sources:
Javier Milei recognized Liberland as a sovereign nation multiple times
“I come from Liberland…”, “Long live liberty, goddammit!” proclaimed Javier Milei, a 50-year-old economist, at a meeting of comic-book aficionados in Buenos Aires in 2019.
Sources:
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/717983-el-general-ancap-en-guerra-contra-el-estado
On June 24, 2024 – the same day Javier Milei arrived in Prague, the representatives of the self-proclaimed Free Republic of Liberland announced the opening of an office in the same city.
A few days earlier, during the ‘Cena de la libertad’ dinner in Madrid, the Spanish ambassador of Liberland, Pol Victoria, took a snapshot of himself with Argentina’s president.
Sources:
Danube river hydrology
Liberland is regularly flooded by the Danube river.
The Liberland Environmental Organisation LEO maintains this website to track the height of the Danube river near Liberland: https://leo.ll.land/river
For 2024, the river levels look like this:
Source: https://www.hidmet.gov.rs/data/izvestajne/ahe42010.gif?rand=340, Gregor Kocar.
The first flood alert means that Liberland and the access roads are not flooded.
When the second flood alert is crossed, the dirt road to Liberland and most of Liberland is flooded. In 2023, the water on the dirt road was approx. 1 m high.
Flooding does not necessarily happen every year. The worst flooding happens in late autumn, maybe early winter. It depends on the meteorological conditions upstream.
On 29.11.2023, the LEO website looked like this. Found in the Internet archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20231129061537/https://leo.ll.land/river
Liberland Website
Liberland Press
Liberland News
Liberland Wiki
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki
Liberland on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@LiberlandOfficial
Liberland on X (formerly Twitter)
https://twitter.com/liberland_org
Liberland on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/liberland
Constitution of Liberland
https://github.com/liberland/Constitution/blob/master/Constitution.md
Liberland Laws
https://github.com/liberland/laws
Congress Primer
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/primers/congress
Executive Primer
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/primers/executive
Judiciary Primer
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/primers/judiciary
Senate Primer
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/primers/senate
Liberland Blockchain
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/tokenomics-primer
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/roadmap
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/centralized-exchanges-api
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/ecosystem
Liberland How To Guides
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-citizens
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-citizens/voting
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-citizens/senate
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-citizens/onboarding
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-citizens/claiming-residency
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-citizens/become-congressmen
https://liberland-1.gitbook.io/wiki/public-documents/blockchain/for-developers-and-testers
Table of Contents
- 1 Proclamation
- 2 Provisional Government
- 3 Citizenship
- 4 Reactions
- 5 English Wikipedia page
- 6 Location
- 7 History
- 8 Public reactions
- 9 Business operations
- 10 Legal analysis and lack of diplomatic recognition
- 11 See also
- 12 German Wikipedia page
- 13 Memorendum of Understanding with Somaliland
- 14 Javier Milei recognized Liberland as a sovereign nation multiple times
- 15 Danube river hydrology
- 16 Liberland Website
- 17 Liberland Press
- 18 Liberland News
- 19 Liberland Wiki
- 20 Liberland on Youtube
- 21 Liberland on X (formerly Twitter)
- 22 Liberland on Facebook
- 23 Constitution of Liberland
- 24 Liberland Laws
- 25 Congress Primer
- 26 Executive Primer
- 27 Judiciary Primer
- 28 Senate Primer
- 29 Liberland Blockchain
- 30 Liberland How To Guides