2023-09-19 15:09:07
The residents of Liberland were celebrating the anniversary of the settlement and the 40th birthday of President Vít Jedlička when the Croatian authorities struck. The situation between the micro-nation of Liberland and Croatia was tense to the point of breaking out – until now, the Yugoslav successor state had tolerated the settlers in its neighborhood. Vít Jedlička and his two fellow settlers were in Dubošeica prison at dawn following a joyful celebration. The trio – who were not warned in advance by the Croatian border police of the possible consequences – are accused of violating public security. According to the Croatian National Security Agency, Liberland is a “parastatal project” and its supporters have carried out extreme actions in order to “undermine the position of Croatia”. The construction of a camp and a border control station, as well as the distribution of fictitious passports, are considered such extreme actions. According to the argument of the Liberlanders, the land referred to by Croatia only as Gornja Siga is terra nullius, i.e. land that does not belong to anyone. The legal basis for this is that since 1993, the arbitration procedure that would have clarified the ownership of the river island embraced by the Danube has not taken place. (Just like in the case of additional areas located in the northern sections of the Serbian-Croatian border.) According to international law, land abandoned 20 years ago reverts to the ownership of the state. However, since in this case the original state – Yugoslavia – has ceased to exist, and Croatia, together with neighboring Serbia, denies that it belongs to them, in 2015 the Czech politician Vít Jedlička proclaimed a new state in the area. Croatia’s accession to the Schengen zone this year certainly also contributed to the current flare-up of the case. The president of Liberland called on the Republic of Croatia to live peacefully side by side. As he says, both countries would do best if they renounced this area, without inciting unnecessary conflicts between them. In a press statement published on Liberland’s official website, Liberland continues: “Liberland does not pose a threat to the national security or territorial integrity of the Republic of Croatia, as Liberland is an independent state that accepts and respects the institutions of the Republic of Croatia, but on its own territory.” Jedlička sees a vision of a new Monaco, the European Singapore in his project, which, according to his argument, would help a lot in the economic recovery of the region. As he said: “Liberland … is the biggest economic opportunity for the Republic of Croatia since the establishment of the Republic of Croatia. Thank you for recognizing our existence, our borders, our travel documents and our security services. … Liberland is a neutral country that wants peaceful and friendly relations with other countries.” The three men were eventually expelled for 5 years and transferred to the territory of Hungary. Despite this, they are not discouraged, because, as they say, by referring to the territory as Liberland in court documents and defining it as a “parastate”, they finally feel that their existence has been acknowledged. The three expelled men are currently working to take legal action once morest the actions of the Croatian authorities so that they can return to Croatia and their settlement in Gornja Siga.
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