Founded a country at 14, went to war, was expelled from it - and won a UN award

Daniel Jackson, who at age 14 founded the Free Republic of Verdis on a strip of land between Croatia and Serbia, was expelled from it in 2023. Now, at 21, he received an award for humanitarian activity at a ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York, on behalf of an independent institute.

Daniel Jackson, 21, founded the "Free Republic of Verdis" at age 14 on a disputed strip of land between Croatia and Serbia. He appointed himself president, drafted laws, and issued passports. In October 2023, he was arrested and deported from Croatia after attempting to establish a permanent settlement in the territory. Now, on October 9, 2026, he received an award for humanitarian activity at a ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York. The award was granted by an independent institute for public policy and diplomatic research, not by the UN itself. On the same day, a Verdis representative spoke at a youth event of the General Assembly. Verdis has about 400 registered citizens, but Jackson is not allowed to enter the territory.