December 9, 2023 – The pre-trial detention for some of the 102 Bad Blue Boys in Greece has been lifted. Recall, they were arrested in August in Athens for their participation in a conflict with fans of the Greek club AEK, in which one fan of the Athens club was killed. They should be released from jail in a few days after the bail is paid.
Minister of Justice and Administration Ivan Malenica told HRT that he believes that all Croatian citizens should come to Croatia by Christmas, writes Index.
“We all need a lot of patience to wait for the decisions of the Greek courts, but we hope and believe in the best, that they will be home for Christmas,” said Malenica.
Regarding the abolition of pre-trial detention for some of the fans, he said that it was the expected outcome and “the result of all the efforts that were initiated”.
What will happen to the other Bad Blue Boys?
Malenica asked their parents and friends to be patient.
“I think the most important thing at this moment is that it has started, that the decisions on ending the pre-trial detention have started. I would appeal to the fans themselves, but also to parents and friends, for patience,” said Malenica.
“We’ll see next week, but I think everything is going in the right direction,” he added. “I believe that it will all be finalized with the Croatian citizens in Greece,” said the minister.
When asked when the fans could return to Croatia, he said that he would not talk about specific days, but that it should be done next week.
The Croatian state must guarantee for the fans, and Malenica said that they do not yet have information on what exactly they must guarantee.
“We will guarantee for Croatian citizens,” he said.
“As a country, we stand behind Croatian citizens and, when they come to Croatia, we will implement all the measures that the Greek court asks of us,” added Malenica.
