Ivan Djakic, the 22-year-old son of MP Josip Djakic from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), was released from police custody on Wednesday evening after an investigating judge at the county court in the central town of Bjelovar dismissed a prosecution motion to remand him in one-month investigative custody.

Djakic was taken in for questioning on Tuesday afternoon over his hateful Facebook post which quickly made headlines and resulted in a public outcry.

On Monday, the Serb Orthodox Christmas, Ivan Djakic had posted what appeared to be a World War II photo to his Facebook profile showing a member of the Croatian wartime fascists Ustasha posing with a severed head of a member of the Serbian nationalist wartime organisation Chetnik, with a message reading “Merry Christmas to all my Serb ‘friends’.”

His post has been condemned by the ruling HDZ party and the government as hate speech, with HDZ saying they would take disciplinary action against Djakic junior. He has in the meantime resigned from party membership.

Speaking to the press after leaving the courthouse, Djakic briefly said he was sorry for what he had done, adding that his case would not have attracted so much public attention if he were not the son of a member of parliament.

His lawyer, Zeljko Palatinus, commended the judge’s decision, saying that precaution measures were set for his client, who will have to report to the police regularly over the next 15 days.

Deputy municipal prosecutor Magda Kovacevic had recommended one-month investigative detention on account that Djakic might repeat the crime of public incitement to violence or hatred.

Djakic had spent the night in police custody and had been heard at the municipal prosecutor’s office in Virovitica earlier in the day.

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