Five arrested in Dubrovnik for glorifying Ratko Mladić; foreign nationals face expulsion

Five men have been arrested in Dubrovnik after police said they used public social-media profiles to glorify Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb commander convicted of war crimes.

The group included four citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, aged between 25 and 31, who were temporarily residing in Croatia, and a 35-year-old Croatian citizen. Police said the men posted photographs, symbols, songs and texts that publicly honored and expressed gratitude to Mladić.

Those posts caused concern, discomfort and a sense of offense among citizens, according to the Dubrovnik-Neretva police, who said they received multiple reports. Because the material appeared on platforms accessible to an indefinite number of people, police classified the conduct as a violation of Article 5 of Croatia’s law on offenses against public order and peace.

All five suspects were detained, one in the Župa dubrovačka area and four in Dubrovnik, before being taken to the Municipal Court in Dubrovnik. Three of the foreign nationals were provisionally found guilty and fined. Their residence and work permits will be revoked, their short-term stay canceled and a three-month ban on entering Croatia imposed.

Authorities have also begun proceedings to expel them from the European Economic Area with two-year entry bans, which would take effect once the verdicts become final. The fourth foreign national and the Croatian citizen are still due to appear before the court.