Liberland

Coordinates: 45°46′N 18°52′E / 45.767°N 18.867°E

Free Republic of Liberland
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Žít a nechat žít
To live and let live
Location of Liberland in Europe
CapitalLiberpolis
45°46′N 18°52′E / 45.767°N 18.867°E
Official languages Czech, English
Demonym Liberlander
Government Constitutional republic with elements of direct democracy (planned)
 -  President Vít Jedlička (founder)
Establishment
 -  Established 13 April 2015 
Area
 -  Total 7 km2
3 sq mi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 -  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Website
http://liberland.org

Liberland, officially the Free Republic of Liberland (Czech: Svobodná republika Liberland) is a self-proclaimed micronation, situated at an unclaimed parcel of land on the western bank of the Danube river between Croatia and Serbia, sharing a land border with the former. It was proclaimed on 13 April 2015 by Czech politician and activist Vít Jedlička.[1][2]

The official website of Liberland states that the nation could be created due to the ongoing Croatia–Serbia border dispute.[3][4][5]

Geography

Liberland is situated at the largest green-colored land parcel, marked as "Siga" on the map. Due to differences in the border definitions, the yellow-colored parts to the east are claimed by both Serbia and Croatia. The green parts have remained unclaimed by both sides.

Since the Yugoslav Wars, some borderland territories between Serbia and Croatia have been disputed, such as the Island of Vukovar and the Island of Šarengrad. However, a few other territories went unclaimed by either side.[2] Liberland was proclaimed on the largest of those land parcels, which is known as Gornja Siga (meaning upper tufa).[1][3]

The area is about 7 km² (3 sq mi), and most of it is covered with forests. There are no residents. A journalist from Parlamentní Listy 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.[6]

The Danube river, which is the only coastline of Liberland, is an international waterway with free access to the Black Sea for several landlocked nations.

Vit Jedlička has recommended using boats to reach Liberland.[7]

There are two internationally recognized sovereign states that are smaller than the area which Liberland claims; the Vatican City and Monaco.[8]

History

The flag raising on Liberland was performed by Vít Jedlička and some of his associates at the same day the republic was proclaimed.[9][10] Jedlička is a member of the Czech Party of Free Citizens, which bases its values on the classical liberal ideology.[3]

As described by Jedlička, neither Serbia, Croatia nor any other nation claims the land as their own (terra nullius). The border is defined in accordance with both Croatian and Serbian border claims and does not interfere with any other state sovereignty.[1][11] Jedlička said in April 2015 that an official diplomatic note would be sent to both Croatia and Serbia, and later to all other states, with a formal request for international recognition.[12]

Reactions

In an interview with Parlamentní Listy , Jedlička said that he had received positive reactions for his initiative, mainly from his own party, but also from some members of the Civic Democratic Party and the Pirate Party.[9]

A team of journalists from the Serbian public broadcast service Radio Television of Vojvodina attempted to visit the area to make a news report. They were denied access by Croatian border police without getting any clear explanation, and were also told that the flag had been taken down. One local resident on the Serbian side of the river approved of the project, and said that it could become a tourist attraction.[13] However, a group of Czech reporters managed to successfully enter Liberland later the same week.[6]

Dominik Stroukal from the Czech-Slovak branch of the Ludwig von Mises Institute wrote: "The escapade succeeded for Vít. The whole world reports about Liberland with words like 'tax competition', 'libertarianism', etc."[14]

Unlike our ancestors, explorers, pioneers and brutal colonizers, we've never had a chance to try. Perhaps we could do it differently than they did, given our technological advancement, broader views on race and gender and, one hopes, a more peaceful disposition.
—Leonid Bershidsky , Bloomberg View [15]

A Bosnian group of journalists from Dnevni Avaz who attempted to visit Liberland were told by Croatian police that Croatia enforces a fine of HRK2,500 for those that enter the zone near the border with a car. They went to borrow bicycles from a local, but as they attempted to reach Liberland again, they met another patrol, and they couldn't continue past the border gate.[16]

University lecture

On 20 April Jedlička held a lecture at the Prague School of Economics, titled "Liberland – how a state is born" (Czech: Liberland – jak vzniká stát). He discussed various aspects of the project and the interest it has managed to attract around the world. One topic that he brought up was the Montevideo Convention, and explained how Liberland was getting closer to satisfying the principles of the convention, which is commonly used to define a state. At the time of the lecture, the Liberland project had assigned ten people to the task of handling foreign relations. People who were reportedly willing to establish residency on the territory.[17]

Topics also covered included the concept of voluntary taxation and how the large number of citizenship applications had made it necessary to make the process more effective and restructure it, since it was only based on an e-mail account. A plan to organize some type of event where everything is sold tax-free was mentioned, and Jedlička explained that Croatia would not be able to prosecute them because the country had stated that the area is not within its jurisdiction.[17]

Structure

Liberland, 13 April 2015

Administration

A government with "ten to twenty members" has been suggested for the administration of Liberland. An electronic voting system will be used to elect members.[9]

Borders and immigration

Liberland will operate on an open-border policy.[9]

Citizenship

The official motto of Liberland is "To live and let live" (Czech: Žít a nechat žít).[1] The goal of the state is to create a society where righteous people can prosper without state regulations and taxes. The founders are inspired by countries like Monaco and Liechtenstein. Jedlička accepts requests for citizenship, and according to the official website, only communists, neonazis, and other extremists are ineligible for citizenship.[9][12][18] According to The Guardian, it has received 200,000 applications for citizenship in a week.[19]

Constitution

Liberland has published a draft version of a codified constitution.[20]

Economy

There are plans for an official cryptocurrency system, although all other currencies will be allowed. The common type of currency in Liberland is the United States Dollar.[9]

The politicians will be constitutionally forbidden from indebting the nation.[9]

Recognition

There has been no diplomatic recognition of Liberland by any country from the United Nations. Vít Jedlička has had a meeting with the Austrian ambassador to the Czech Republic.[21]

Official statements about Liberland

Statements from other micronation projects

The micronation Kingdom of North Sudan, which was started by Jeremiah Heaton from the United States and claims the Bir Tawil area between Egypt and Sudan, has recognized Liberland.[23]

South Maudlandia, a micronation project named after Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, states that it has laid claim to the territory 18 March 2015 as the Autonomous Region of Pannonia.[24] Another micronation project called Paraduin has also already staked out a claim at the same area, and its blog mentions Liberland in another entry.[25][26]

Representatives from the Confederation of Âûtia, a micronation for people on the autism spectrum, visited the area on 17 April 2015, but the Croatian police prevented the planting of their flag.[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Liberland.org - About Liberland". liberland.org. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nolan, Daniel (25 April 2015). "Welcome to Liberland: Europe's Newest State". Vice News. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Martínek, Jan (15 April 2015). "Člen Svobodných vyhlásil na území bývalé Jugoslávie vlastní stát" (in Czech). Novinky.cz. Právo. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Čech si medzi Srbskom a Chorvátskom založil vlastný štát" (in Slovak). sme.sk. TASR. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Balkans: Czech man claims to establish 'new state'". BBC News. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Panenka, Radim (20 April 2015). "Navštívili jsme nový stát Liberland, který v Evropě založil Čech Vít Jedlička. Podívejte se, jak to tam vypadá" (in Czech). Parlamentní Listy. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "http://www.vecernji.hr/hrvatska/i-liberland-danas-slavi-prvih-100-posjetitelja-na-dar-dobiva-drzavljanstvo-1003266" (in Croatian). Večernji List. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 McKirdy, Euan (25 April 2015). "Liberland: Could the world's newest micronation get off the ground?". CNN. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Koulová, Zuzana (15 April 2015). "On to myslí vážně! Vít Jedlička, zakladatel nového státu Liberland, promluvil. Zavádí elektřinu, internet, všechno. A lidé se k němu hrnou" (in Czech). Parlamentní Listy. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  10. ↑ CZ: Liberland (video) (in Czech). Medium Europe. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "International Boundaries Research Unit : Search - Durham University". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Čeh proglasio državu između Srbije i Hrvatske" (in Serbian). B92. BETA. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Spasojević, Vesna (17 April 2015). "Liberlend, zemlja koje - nema" (in Serbian). Radio Televizija Vojvodine. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Stroukal, Dominik (18 April 2015). "Několik nestrukturovaných poznámek k Liberlandu" (in Czech). Ludwig von Mises Institut - Česko & Slovensko. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Bershidsky, Leonid (22 April 2015). "Don't Laugh Off Liberland". Bloomberg View. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  16. ↑ Trako, Evelin (26 April 2015). "POTRAGA ZA LIBERLANDOM Reporteri "Avaza" na ničijoj zemlji između Srbije i Hrvatske" (in Bosnian). Dnevni Avaz. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Panenka, Radim (21 April 2015). "Je to smršť! Skoro nespím, osadníci se hrnou, noviny se předhánějí. My to prostě uděláme, slyšel plný sál od Víta Jedličky, zakladatele státu Liberland" (in Czech). Parlamentní Listy. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  18. ↑ Radisic, Danica (16 April 2015). "Liberland, the Balkans’ Newest Micronation, Is Looking for Citizens". Global Voices Online. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  19. ↑ Nolan, Daniel (24 April 2015). "Liberland: hundreds of thousands apply to live in world's newest 'country'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2015. In the week since Liberland announced its creation and invited prospective residents to join the project, they have received about 200,000 citizenship applications – one every three seconds – from almost every country in the world.
  20. ↑ "Liberland.org - Constitution". liberland.org. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Tešija, Jelena (23 April 2015). "Svjetski mediji dosta ozbiljno shvaćaju onog tipa koji pokušava osnovati mikrodržavu na Dunavu" (in Croatian). Telegram. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  22. ↑ Fayed, Hanan (23 April 2015). "Foreign Min. warns Egyptians against emigrating to Liberland". The Cairo Post. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  23. ↑ Tvardzík, Jozef (21 April 2015). "V Európe vznikol nový štát Liberland. Založil ho Čech, chce skoncovať s byrokratickými opachami" (in Slovak). TREND.sk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "South Maudlandia Official Site". southmaudlandia.moonfruit.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "Paraduin claims terra nullius Siga". paraduin.nl. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Illegal Liberland flag removed from Siga". paraduin.nl. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  27. ↑ "Trip report to Siga and Statement on Liberland". autisticstate.prophpbb.com. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.

General sources