Concerning the boat "Liberty"
https://liberland.org/en/news/492-concerning-the-boat-liberty
A joint statement by the Office of the President and the Ministry of Justice
Background and Sequence of Events
The initial settlement was established near the inaugural Border Crossing Point between Croatia and Liberland. The settlement was primarily managed by Jan Urban and Martin Kutzendorfer for approximately three months.
On August 6th, the Border Crossing Point was officially declared, marking the commencement of the Permanent Settlement.
Following this, approximately five individuals took up semi-permanent residence at Jefferson Square in Liberland, while the Border Crossing Point continued to be inhabited, facilitated by the amenities provided by the boat named Liberty.
Stranding of Liberty and Initial Response
Due to escalating activities and a growing list of priorities, the boat Liberty became stranded for the first time. Immediate efforts were made to organize a rescue operation. Vít Jedlička contacted the Port Authority for assistance. Contrary to expectations, the Port Authority dispatched police and inspectors who:
Asserted that the boat was in a deteriorated condition; and
Issued misdemeanour charges against the captain, Martin Kutzendorfer, alleging negligence (charges were subsequently contested).
Police Intervention and Subsequent Developments
Attempts at rescue were further complicated by police interference, resulting in the failure of the rescue operation. Consequently, external assistance was sought from Hydrogradnia, which intervened on August 21st. The police, however, prevented the boat from docking at a secure harbor in Marina Mateos, directing it instead to Zeleny Otok.
Legal and Administrative Challenges at Batina
Upon arrival in Batina, coordinates: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Wd1muqp3d6wDyL49?g_st=isi , the Port Authority issued an order prohibiting the boat's departure and levied additional misdemeanour charges related to maintenance and conduct (also contested). Despite numerous attempts to secure permission for the boat's relocation, the authorities remained unresponsive.
Arrests and Deportations
On September 7th, Vít Jedlička, Martin Kutzendorfer, and Jan Urban were arrested and subsequently deported for a period of five years on grounds of "national security," effectively incapacitating our primary navigational personnel.
Mr. Vladimir Knazevic was subjected to a series of contradictory legal actions by Croatian authorities. Initially, he was penalized for failing to register at an accommodation facility. Subsequently, he incurred an additional fine for not being physically present at the registered accommodation.
Upon his departure from Croatia—a requisite step for compliance with the aforementioned orders—Mr. Knazevic was issued a 30-day entry ban. The rationale provided for this prohibition was "the potential for committing misdemeanours" and "lack of justifiable reasons for entry." As far as we can tell, this is a case of "guilty until proven innocent", which has no place in a Rule of Law-based country.
Current Status and Impediments
The boat Liberty became stranded again due to fluctuating water levels in the Danube. Despite multiple attempts to facilitate a rescue, efforts have been systematically thwarted. Information has come to light indicating a concerted effort by the Border Police to disseminate false information about the settlement and its key figures. Moreover, there appears to be a campaign to discredit and harm any individuals or entities providing assistance to Liberland.
As of September 27th, both Croatian and Serbian police have initiated inquiries into the ownership of the boat Liberty, and there is confirmed intent to confiscate the vessel. It is our assessment that the ongoing predicament is a result of collusion between the Border Police and the Port Authority with the objective of expropriating, e.g. stealing, the Liberty boat.
Future considerations
As of the present moment, the vessel known as "Liberty" has been beyond our control for a period exceeding two weeks. Despite our efforts to secure the vessel through professional security services, the agency we engaged reported an untenable level of intimidation from the Border Police, rendering continued collaboration with us unfeasible.
We intend to implement precautionary measures to facilitate the vessel's salvage as water levels rise. We are working to level the vessel so that it is safe. When the water rises, we plan to send a crew and a skipper to operate it to the extend to which this is legally possible. We intend to rescue the vessel and bring it to safety.
It has come to our attention through credible sources that the Captainate harbours intentions to seize and relocate "Liberty" to its own port. We wish to make it unequivocally clear that any such action undertaken without our explicit consent constitutes theft, as far as we are concerned.
Furthermore, there are circulating rumours suggesting that a comprehensive search of "Liberty" is being planned by law enforcement agencies, ostensibly to uncover evidence of alleged criminal activities by our President or other proponents of the Liberland initiative.
In response to this, we assert the following: Any evidence discovered in such a manner was not present during the period when "Liberty" was under our full control. This was prior to the removal of our captains and our subsequent abandonment of the property’s supervision, enforced by the Border Police.
Consequently, any evidence found under these circumstances must be considered as having been introduced or planted by third parties opposed to Liberland’s mission of statehood, illegally, as well as without our consent, agency, or approval.