The SafeJournalists Network expresses serious concern over the decision of the institutions of the Republic of Croatia to ban Avdo Avdić, journalist and editor of the portal Istraga.ba from Bosnia and Herzegovina, from entering Croatia.
On November 12, at 1:28 p.m., Croatia’s Border Police at the Gradiška border crossing handed Avdić a Decision on Refusal of Entry into the Republic of Croatia, accompanied by a written note stating that his name appears in the national database of persons prohibited from entering the country. The Croatian Ministry of the Interior issued this decision without providing any further explanation for such an action.
In a statement to the SafeJournalists Network, Avdić said he believes the entry ban is linked to a panel discussion he recently took part in at the Islamic Center in Zagreb, where he spoke, among other things, about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s electoral legislation and the official position of Zagreb toward Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“In the decision I received, no reasons were stated for imposing the entry ban into the Republic of Croatia. It only says that my name appears in the national database. If I had committed a criminal offense on the territory of Croatia or the EU, I would have been arrested. If I had committed a misdemeanor, I would have been brought before a magistrate to be fined. But they simply banned me from entering the territory of the Republic of Croatia, so I can only speculate about what this is really about,” said Avdić.
Following the decision of Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković and member of the Presidency Željko Komšić issued statements announcing that they would formally request an explanation from the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo as to why journalist Avdo Avdić was denied entry into the country. They warned that this represents a serious attack on media freedom throughout the region and called on the institutions of the European Union to respond to the case. Member of the BiH Presidency Denis Bećirović also reacted, describing the Croatian authorities’ decision as “unacceptable.”
The SafeJournalists Network considers such actions by the competent institutions of Croatia to be a direct violation of the right to freedom of movement and of journalists’ right to report on and discuss issues of public importance — whether they concern a single country or have a transnational dimension. The arbitrary decision to ban a journalist from entering Croatia, without any concrete or reasoned explanation, constitutes a dangerous precedent and a restriction of media freedom that is entirely incompatible with the rule of law and the democratic standards of the European Union, of which Croatia is a member.
The SafeJournalists Network calls on the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia and other competent institutions to immediately explain the reasons for denying Avdo Avdić entry into the country and to ensure that journalists are able to work freely and without obstruction.
The SafeJournalists Network will inform relevant national and international actors about this case.
Every attack on journalists is an attack on democracy, the public interest, and fundamental human rights.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, November 13, 2025
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro
The source: IJAS
Photo by: Canva
