Country calls on citizens to cancel planned trips to Serbia, advises Croatian nationals in country to avoid crowded places
Croatia has sent a diplomatic protest note to Serbia seeking an urgent explanation for the detention and deportation of five Croatian citizens, local reports said Thursday.
Five Croatian nationals who were in Serbia to participate in an event organized by a non-governmental organization (NGO) were reportedly detained by Serbian police and subsequently deported back to Croatia.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman, speaking from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, said the citizens had traveled to Serbia's capital, Belgrade, to attend a workshop but were detained without any explanation.
Radman also noted that Croatia had informed European Union institutions about the incident, adding that a few people from other countries were also reportedly deported.
The Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on citizens to cancel planned trips to Serbia and advised Croatian nationals in the country to avoid crowded places.
Several NGOs operating in Croatia and Serbia issued a joint statement expressing concern over the actions of Serbian police and condemning the incident.
Serbian media reported that police had visited the hotel where the workshop was held on Monday and Tuesday evenings, detaining and deporting 13 individuals from various countries.
