Croat arrested at Belgrade protests returns to Croatia

A Croat arrested by Serbian authorities at antigovernmental protests in Belgrade has returned to Croatia, the Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday, again urging Croatian citizens not to travel to the neighboring country unless absolutely necessary.

Serbian Police Minister Ivica Dačić said on Friday that Croatian citizen Bruno Horvat, who attacked members of the gendarmerie in Belgrade, was arrested at the protests.

“We confirm that Croatian citizen B. H. (23) crossed from the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Croatia last night,” the Ministry announced.

At the Ministry, they say he claims he did not participate in the protests, but was identified and arrested outside of them. Serbian authorities fined him and banned him from entering for a year, the statement said.

'Postpone non-essential trips to Serbia'

The months-long protests, which so far have been mostly peaceful, escalated on Wednesday evening into clashes between demonstrators and the police in several cities in Serbia.

They were started by students after the death of 16 people in the fall of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, for which they blame the corrupt government, and their last demand is the calling of early parliamentary elections.

Due to the demonstrations, the Ministry recommended Croatian citizens to postpone non-essential trips to Serbia and emphasized that they will take all necessary actions to protect the interests and safety of Croatian citizens.

Source: HRT