The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) slammed on Wednesday the official visit of Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose regime, they said in a press release published on their website, persecutes journalists.

According to them, Erdogan is a “despot who has been ruling Turkey for 20 years, and a man who, like the worst regimes, squares accounts with human rights defenders and opposition politicians.”

They said in a press release signed by head of HND, Hrvoje Zovko, that “a special target of his authoritarian rule” were Turkish journalists “whom his regime arrests, beats, imprisons and sentences to years in prison.”

The HND said that it was “incomprehensible” that Croatian President, Zoran Milanovic, and Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, would meet with such a man. They said they doubted that they will protest or reproach Erdogan for “persecuting journalists in Turkey and suppressing all voices which warn about his undemocratic rule.”

They added that “perhaps many domestic politicians would like to put journalists under control due to their criticism as Erdogan did,” and that “thereby they show that they have no interest in democratic standards.”