On Thursday, October 12th, the Croatian border police broke international law by entering the territory of the Free Republic of Verdis, where they began to harass settlers. They awaited the return of President Jackson, who was helping to collect fuel in Aljmaš, to question him and other settlers.
Subsequently, President Jackson and several settlers were detained without legal basis by the Croatian police within an area they do not consider as part of Croatia. They were transported to a police station within Croatian territory. The Croatian authorities forced the settlers to board a boat, asserting that they were not under arrest, while simultaneously preventing them from walking anywhere. In this process, the settlers’ documents and mobile phones were confiscated. They were held at a police station located near the Hungarian border for several hours without the freedom to depart. The authorities informed the settlers that they must leave Croatia within seven days for a period of three months, or they would face deportation.
It is important to note that the Croatian police actions disregarded the information found in their own government’s cadastral mapping, which clearly indicates that Verdis lies outside the territory of Croatia. Additionally, a park ranger from the neighboring Kopački Rit area issued fines to multiple settlers for sleeping in Verdis, despite expressing reluctance and discomfort in doing so. Both Kopački Rit official maps and Croatian official maps confirm that Verdis is situated outside the boundaries of Croatian territory making these detainments and fines a breach of international law.
The settlers were eventually taken back to Verdis at around midnight to collect one of the boats and safely return things to Aljmaš. Settlers received no assistance in the safe navigation of the Danube in the middle of the night.
The Verdisian Government will be looking to take this into legal and ask citizens and supporters to spread the word about the situation and write a letter of protest to their local Croatian embassy condemning the invasion.
We still want to form friendly relations with the Republic of Croatia and want to be open to mutual cooperation and relations.
We thank everyone for your support and will continue to do what we can to protect Verdis and its territorial integrity.
#StandWithVerdis
Verdisian Government
Croatian Government cadastral map showing Verdis to be outside of Croatia:
Kopački Rit map showing that Verdis is outside:
