The phenomenon of resistance and liberation movements has occurred throughout history and remains current. Wars of independence and attempts of those range back centuries, including prominent examples such as the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), the Kosovo War (1996–1999), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005), and many others. The struggle of the African National Congress (ANC) against the apartheid regime, the efforts of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to “liberate Palestine,” the demand of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for Kurdish autonomy, and the actions of the armed guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are just some of the widely known cases of resistance and liberation movements. The Arab uprisings in late 2010 and 2011 that spread from Tunisia to Egypt, Yemen, Syria, and other countries in the region are recent examples of civil resistance. The definition of civil or national resistance, liberation, and separatist or independence movements is fluid. Scholars have suggested different classifications and terminology nomenclatures with the common emphasis on sociopolitical interests, namely freedom from oppression, enhanced political or cultural autonomy, or full-fledged independence. Theories on nationalist populism, public armed violence, ethnic identity, and collective mobilization are part of the topic’s thematic social science periphery. In public international law, the concept of resistance and liberation movements is explicitly mentioned in international humanitarian law with references in the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Overall, international law provides the right to resistance and liberation based on the right of self-determination, but the scope and conditions are disputed apart from general parameters. A point of tension in relation to the right to self-determination results from the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, which pose limitations for national liberation and resistance struggles. Differentiating civil disobedience from armed resistance, clarifying legal justifications for secessionist movements, unpacking the freedom fighter versus terrorism dichotomy, being aware of legal rules for counterinsurgencies, and the application of humanitarian law are other critical legal aspects to consider in this context.