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Problem Podmiotowości Prawnomiędzynarodowej Księstwa Sealand

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Problem Podmiotowości Prawnomiędzynarodowej Księstwa Sealand vol. 45/2015, ss. 101–119 ISSN 1505-2192 www.athenaeum.umk.pl DOI: 10.15804/athena.2015.45.06 PROBLEM PODMIOTOWOŚCI PRAWNOMIĘDZYNARODOWEJ KSIĘSTWA SEALAND Bartłomiej H. Toszek* THE INTERNATIONAL SUBJECTIVITY PROBLEM OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF SEALAND — ABSTRACT — Th e Principality of Sealand was founded on the abandoned military plat- form on the North Sea. Because of its location beyond the British territorial waters, it was not the point of interest of the British authorities. In 1960s and 1970s, the Principality have got its national emblems and constitution. Despite of this initial development, most of the citizens moved from the platform to mainland because of hard conditions of life. Th e most dange- rous threat for the Principality existence was the declaration of widening British territorial waters zone up to 12 NM (Nautical Miles), but no British troops or navy ship tried to disturb Sealand’s sovereignty. Despite ‘not disturbed’ status, the Principality is not the state in the meaning of the international law. It has not got its territory nor people, because offi cially the platform is the Ministry of Defence property and all of Sealand’s citizens live in the mainland now. Th e Principality has not been recognized by any state or international organization, so it has no possibilities to take part in international relations. From the legal point of view, the Principality is not only a state, but even quasi-state, however, it could be recognised in the future as a virtual micronation, although it is not a legal category. — KEYWORDS — international relations, international subjectivity, recognition of the state ‘Th e Principality of Sealand’, Th e United Kingdom * Uniwersytet Szczeciński, Instytut Politologii i Europeistyki. 102 ATHENAEUM vol. 45/2015 Polskie Studia Politologiczne W powszechnym mniemaniu pojęcie „państwa” stanowi oczywistą kategorię, która poprzez swoją obecność w codziennym życiu całego społeczeństwa może być z łatwością zdefi niowana przez każdego człowieka. Jednak w rzeczywisto- ści nieostre defi nicje potoczne nie odpowiadają różnorodności istniejących we współczesnym świecie form państwowych1, których określenie wymaga precyzji właściwej dla języka prawnego. Problem ten dotyczy w szczególności tych quasi-państw, które nie zostały uznane przez ogół lub część społeczności międzynarodowej i w konsekwencji nie nawiązały stosunków zagranicznych, natomiast spełniają inne kryteria uzasadniające ich traktowanie jako organizmów państwowych. Wśród podmiotów tego rodzaju największe zainteresowanie opinii publicznej2 skupia Księstwo Sealand, aspirujące do rangi suwerennego państwa od niemal 50 lat. Twórcą Księstwa Sealand był emerytowany major armii brytyjskiej Roy „Paddy” Bates, który w październiku 1965 roku założył piracką rozgłośnię radiową Radio Essex na opuszczonej platformie przeciwlotniczej HM Fort Knock John znajdującej się u ujścia Tamizy. Ponieważ za nadawanie programów radio- wych bez licencji na właściciela stacji została nałożona grzywna w wysokości 100 GBP, a wniosek o rejestrację Radio Essex został odrzucony, Bates zdecydował się przenieść swoją rozgłośnię na inną opuszczoną platformę przeciwlotniczą HM Fort Roughs3, usytuowaną na Morzu Północnym na szerokości geografi cznej 51°53’40”N i długości geografi cznej 1°28’57”E, tj. w odległości 7 mil morskich od wybrzeży Wielkiej Brytanii. Ponieważ szerokość pasa brytyjskich wód teryto- 1 M. Sobczyński, Państwa i terytoria zależne. Ujęcie geografi czno-polityczne, Toruń 2006, s. 11. 2 Na stronach internetowych Księstwa Sealand nie zostały umieszczone liczniki rejestrujące liczbę odwiedzin, natomiast z danych znajdujących się na stronach internetowych Rządu Księstwa Sealand na Uchodźstwie wynika, że w okresie od 13 maja 2002 do 31 października 2004 r. strony te odwiedziło 2 770 945 internautów. Zob. Principality of Sealand, Webserver Statistics from May 13, 2002 – October 31, 2004, http:// http://principality-of – sealand.eu/statistic_e.html, odczyt z dn. 25.09.2012. Z kolei polską stronę internetową o Księstwie Sealand, uruchomioną 18 kwietnia 2008 r., obejrzało do dnia 11 lipca 2008 r. 22 521 osób. Zob. Księstwo Sealand, Sealand Poland, Serwis, http://www.sealand.yoyo. pl/index.php?id=serwis, odczyt z dn. 11.07.2008. 3 Platforma HM Fort Roughs została skonstruowana na zlecenie Admiralicji Brytyjskiej przez Guya Ansona Maunsella, a następnie zatopiona w obecnym miejscu w lutym 1942 r. w celu zapew- nienia ochrony portu Harwich przed niemieckimi atakami lotniczymi i rakietowymi. W okresie działań wojennych na platformie przebywał oddział Royal Navy, liczący od 150 do 300 osób. Ich liczba stopniowo malała po zakończeniu II wojny światowej, a ostatni żołnierze zostali wycofani w 1956 r. W tym samym roku Ministerstwo Obrony przekazało zarząd HM Fort Roughs korporacji Trinity House, zob. Project Redsand, History, http://www. project-redsand.com/ history.htm, odczyt z dn. 9.07.2014. Bartłomiej H. Toszek : Problem podmiotowości prawnomiędzynarodowej 103 rialnych wynosiła wówczas 3 mile morskie, nie ulegało wątpliwości, że platforma zajęta przez Batesa znajduje się na wodach międzynarodowych, niepodlegających jurysdykcji brytyjskiej4. Pomimo tego Radio Essex musiało zostać ostatecznie zlikwidowane ze względu na regulacje brytyjskiej ustawy z dnia 14 sierpnia 1967 roku skierowanej przeciwko pirackim rozgłośniom radiowym (Marine Broadcasting Off ences Act 1967)5, która znajdowała zastosowanie do obywateli brytyjskich, bez względu na to, czy przebywali oni na terytorium Zjednoczonego Królestwa, czy poza nim. Chociaż Roy Bates został zmuszony do zaprzestania swojej dotychczasowej działalności, to jednak nie opuścił platformy HM Fort Roughs, lecz w dniu 2 września 1967 roku ogłosił ją suwerennym państwem pod nazwą Księstwa Sealand. Deklaracja nie wywołała początkowo żadnego oddźwięku ze strony władz brytyjskich, które nie widziały potrzeby zajmowania się ekscentrycznym dziwakiem roszczącym sobie pretensje do brudnej, rdze- wiejącej platformy na Morzu Północnym6 o powierzchni 560 m2 i otaczających ją wód morskich o powierzchni 4000 m2. Świadomość takiego stanu rzeczy miał także Bates, który w wywiadzie umieszczonym na stronie internetowej swojego quasi-państwa (Sealand News) stwierdził: „realizacja moich ambicji trwała bardzo długo […], a na początku nikt nie traktował mnie poważnie”7. Sytuacja uległa zmianie w maju 1968 roku, kiedy zarządzająca HM Fort Roughs korporacja Trinity House wysłała na platformę dwóch pracowników, którzy mieli przeprowadzić prace konserwatorskie. Nie zostali oni jednak wpuszczeni na platformę, a „książę” i jego 16-letni syn Michael zagrozili im użyciem broni w przypadku ponownego przybycia. W odpowiedzi, kiedy Roy Bates udał się na stały ląd, został aresztowany przez funkcjonariuszy policji za posiadanie broni palnej bez zezwolenia. Ostatecznie wyrokiem z dnia 25 października 1968 roku sąd hrabstwa Essex (Essex Assizes) w Chelmsford oddalił zarzuty wysunięte 4 Pomimo przystąpienia do Konwencji ONZ o morzu terytorialnym i strefi e przyległej z 29 kwiet- nia 1958 r., zezwalającej sygnatariuszom na rozciągnięcie swoich przepisów celnych, skarbowych, imigracyjnych i sanitarnych na pas wód przybrzeżnych o szerokości 12 mil morskich, Wielka Brytania nie korzystała z tej możliwości aż do 1 października 1987 roku, tj. do chwili rozszerzenia pasa wód terytorialnych. 5 Ustawa została uchwalona w wykonaniu postanowień Traktatu Rady Europy z 22 stycznia 1965 r. w sprawie zwalczania piractwa radiowego. Zob. Council of Europe, European Agreement for the Pre- vention of Broadcasts transmitted from Stations outsider National Territories, http://conventions.coe. int/Treaty/en/Treaties/ Html/053.htm, odczyt z dn. 9.07.2014. 6 Sealandia – milion euro za metr, http://www.money.pl/gospodarka/wiadomości/artykul/sealan- dia;-;m Ilion;euro;za;metr,110,0,214126.html, odczyt z dn. 9.07.2014. 7 Th e Royal Family, http://www.sealandnews.com/the-royal-family, odczyt z dn. 9.07.2014. 104 ATHENAEUM vol. 45/2015 Polskie Studia Politologiczne wobec Roya i Michaela Batesów, wskazując, że „sądy angielskie mogą rozstrzygać o ukaraniu jedynie za czyny popełnione […] na terytorium Wielkiej Brytanii oraz należących do niej wyspach i obszarze wód terytorialnych wewnątrz pasa o szerokości 3 mil […], a także statkach poruszających się pod fl agą brytyjską […], a do żadnej z tych kategorii nie należy wieża Roughs”8. Wprawdzie w wyroku z 1968 roku zostały jedynie określone przeszkody formalnoprawne uniemożli- wiające sądowi merytoryczne rozpatrzenie sprawy, jednakże Roy Bates uznał je za potwierdzenie swoich roszczeń wobec HM Fort Roughs, opierających się na obowiązującej w prawie międzynarodowym publicznym zasadzie res nullis credit primo occupanti9. Wyrazem tego przekonania było wezwanie jednostek Royal Navy, uczestniczących w ćwiczeniach prowadzonych u wybrzeży południowo- -wschodniej Anglii pod koniec 1968 roku, do niewpływania na obszar ogłoszony sealandzkimi wodami terytorialnymi w deklaracji z dnia 2 września 1967 roku: „W obronie suwerenności swojego państwa książę Roy nakazał okrętom mary- narki wojennej wycofanie się. Zostały oddane strzały ostrzegawcze”10. W latach siedemdziesiątych Księstwo Sealand zamieszkiwała 5-osobowa rodzina Batesów11 oraz „rozrastająca się stopniowo pionierska grupa […] osadników”12, w skład której wchodzili przede wszystkim hippisi, żądni przy- gód awanturnicy i bezrobotni, ale także kilku prawników i przedsiębiorców. Jednak trudne warunki bytowe utrzymujące się na HM Fort Roughs, pomimo składanych przez Batesa deklaracji o przekształceniu platformy
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