The Documentation and Information Center “Veritas” draws public attention to the latest, unprecedented case of prosecution of Serbs in the Republic of Croatia due to social media content. This case is unique as it represents the first known conviction of this type in the Baranja region, accompanied by absolute media silence, a complete absence of official announcements from the police and the court, and the scandalous arrest of an athlete during a football match.
According to the data at our disposal, on Sunday, September 20, 2026, a Serbian citizen, B. J. (born 1989) from Sombor, was arrested. He is a football player who has been playing for various Croatian clubs for eight years, and in the current season, he plays for the football club “Jovan Lazić” from Bolman (Jagodnjak Municipality, near Beli Manastir). B. J. does not hold Croatian citizenship and regularly traveled from Sombor for training and matches.
The chronology of events unequivocally proves that the sole and direct pretext for the entire persecution was a single social media post. Specifically, on September 4, B. J. posted a photograph of General Ratko Mladić on his Facebook “Story” without any accompanying text. Although this post, by the very nature of the platform, was visible for only 24 hours, it served the Croatian authorities as a permanent basis for a pre-arranged police and judicial operation. The fact that this specific photograph triggered the entire mechanism became clear nine days later, on September 13, when B. J. attempted to enter Croatia. At that time, the Croatian border police issued a one-day entry ban to him, openly warning him: “Watch what you post on social media”. That same 24-hour temporary post of Mladić's photograph was also the sole reason for the subsequent final trap. When B. J. entered Croatia via Hungary on Sunday, September 20, to play the match, the police arrived at the stadium and arrested him during the first half, while he was sitting on the substitutes’ bench, in front of his teammates and the audience. The Consulate of the Republic of Serbia in Vukovar had not been previously notified of the detention of the Serbian citizen.
The exact same Facebook photograph was the unique piece of evidence on which the very next day, on Monday, September 21, the Municipal Court in Osijek – Beli Manastir Permanent Service (Misdemeanor Department) found B. J. guilty of disturbing public order and peace under Article 5 of the Act on Misdemeanors Against Public Order and Peace. He was sentenced to a drastic fine of 1,500 euros. The court gave the family a deadline of only two hours to pay the amount under the threat of continued detention. Following an urgent reaction from the family and the completed payment, B. J. was released. Following the court ruling, the police served him with a decision banning him from entering the European Union for a period of three months. B. J. returned to Sombor on the same day around 8:00 PM.
“Veritas” emphasizes that this case establishes a dangerous precedent and confirms our previously stated claims: through amendments to the law that drastically raised misdemeanor fines up to 4,000 euros, Croatia has established a system for intimidating Serbs. This example from Bolman demonstrates a new, more aggressive phase where ephemeral social media content, which has long disappeared from the internet, becomes a permanent tracking file and the direct cause for an initial border ban, a subsequent spectacular arrest of an athlete mid-game, and ultimately, a draconian fine and expulsion. Everything was conducted in secrecy to prevent public backlash and diplomatic protection from Serbian representative offices.
Belgrade/Banja Luka, September 23, 2026
Information Service of DIC “Veritas”
