Danby Islets

The **Danby Islets** are a cluster of two islets in the Western Outer Region inhabited by Desert Island and Asauna. The smaller island in the north, Northern Danby, is occupied by Desert Island as an unorganized unincorporated city-island, while the larger island below, Southern Danby, is occupied by Asauna as one of the four unorganized dependencies of Asauna. The Danby Strait narrowly separates the two islands by three miles. Northern Danby is approximately 25 miles wide, while Southern Danby is approximately 37 miles wide. Swimming across the river illegally to get from either side to the other is a criminal offense in both countries, and the Desert Island Border Unit and Asaunese Border Forces routinely patrol both sides of the river to prevent any illegal entry from either side. Furthermore, it is also illegal to get to Southern Danby as a foreigner directly from Asauna even if one enters there legally as a special permit is required before going there. Only locals can go to Southern Danby without a permit. Northern Danby however is free for all tourists provided that they show a passport and ID upon entry.

## Incidents

Tourists from Northern Danby who travelled to Southern Danby from the Danby Strait, even unknowingly or accidentally, have been subject to indefinite detention without access to an attorney and they have been sentenced to long jail sentences without due process. It is also not uncommon to have a right to fair trial or speedy trial to be denied, and access to an attorney or due process is revoked, meaning that any foreign national who crosses the strait illegally can be subject to indefinite detention. Foreign nationals who have crossed the strait illegally have also been subject to white room torture and other torture methods and were forced to confess against their will.

Even if foreign nationals do enter the country legally, they will still need a special permit from the Asaunese Federal Government before going to Southern Danby since it is a restricted area (though locals can still go there with only their passport and there are towns here). Going there without such permit as a foreigner is punishable by up to 25 years in prison and A$750,000 fines.

## Travel Ban

On March 12, 2023, Desert Island's Ministry of State announced that citizens and tourists alike will no longer be allowed to travel to the Danby Strait without a special permit due to the serious risk of arrest by the Asaunese Border Forces (ABF), itself a law enforcement agency part of Asauna's Ministry of National Security, and the new law went into effect the same day. The MOS has argued that both citizens and tourists alike who accidentally end up on the other side have continued to be abducted and indefinitely detained in immigration camps without access to an attorney or legal counselling or being allowed to use the telephone to contact family, along with their other rights significantly restricted, and the Asaunese government would not allow them to leave the country or have any contact with their families or any legal counselling. Some have even died while interrogated in these camps due to lack of food, water, or hygeine, as well as brutality including excessive force and violence against detainees for even mundane things. Some of them have even been abducted just for being in the middle of the strait. The Asaunese government has continued to breach WOU laws and commit serious rights abuses against undocumented immigrants by either not allowing them to leave the country or deport them back to dangerous countries even after being told by the WOU and other organizations to stop.

While going to the southern beach at Northern Danby will still be allowed, there will be a swimming net and police boats and lifeguards will patrol the entire beach and strictly enforce the new order. Swimming past the net is a Class 3 felony punishable by fines and up to a year in jail. Travel to Asauna and Southern Danby by legal means will still be permitted.