The Mayor of Banja Luka, Draško Stanivuković, was detained last night in Croatia upon his return to Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Gradiška border crossing, after he refused to be searched and is currently at the Stara Gradiška police station, where he is awaiting the decision of a misdemeanor judge. This was stated at a press conference in Banja Luka by Milan Aljetić, an authorized signatory in the Finance Department of the City of Banja Luka, stating that Stanivuković arrived at the border last night at around 10 p.m., where he was searched, Beta reports.
He stated that Stanivuković refused to open his suitcase again for additional checks, after which officers warned him that if he did not do so, he would be detained, which happened at around 3 a.m. He added that Stanivuković is no longer at the border crossing, but at the Stara Gradiška police station, where, according to available information, he is awaiting the judge’s decision.
City Manager Mirna Savić Banjac stated that Stanivuković has been subjected to torture for months when entering and leaving Croatia. “We believe that this is inappropriate and unacceptable behavior, especially considering that he was detained for words that some individuals did not like,” Savić Banjac emphasized. According to her, if Croatia aspires to European values and standards, such behavior represents a serious violation of freedom of speech and basic human rights.
“I would especially like to emphasize that in his political activities, as the mayor of Banja Luka, Stanivuković has shown understanding and respect for all people, regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliation. We are all witnesses to how Croatian citizens are always welcome in Banja Luka and Republika Srpska,” she stated.
She called on the authorities in Croatia to review their actions and the way they treat citizens of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, because, as she assessed, such behavior has serious consequences and does not contribute to good neighborly relations.
Stanivuković himself made a statement on the social network X last night, stating that he did not allow himself to be “detained, searched and taken for the 14th time, and to have their official dogs sniff them”. “It is almost certain that the Croatian border police will keep me at the border crossing all night. And let them! I will not give up my dignity, and I have shown respect to everyone”, he stated.
Stanivuković wrote that they did the same yesterday morning when he was traveling to Budapest. “And so it has been for two whole months. This is not a question of me as a man and a mayor. This is a question of relations with Serbs. In this fight I remain calm, dignified and upright. And the truth will always find its way”, Stanivuković wrote.
He previously announced that his problems with entering Croatia and leaving that country began at the end of January, due, as he emphasized, to his speech in Gračac, Croatia, when he mentioned the Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) in his address.
