Greece has rejected accusations by President Zoran Milanović about it not being a law-based country and treating inhumanely Croatians arrested after last week's football fan violence in Athens, in which a Greek national was killed, noting that such statements are not conducive to calming the situation.

Ninety-eight supporters of the Dinamo Zagreb football club were arrested in Athens last week after a 29-year-old AEK supporter was killed in fan violence that broke out in the night between 7 and 8 August ahead of the UEFA Champions League third-qualifying-round match between AEK and Dinamo.

Milanović said on Monday that the Croatians arrested in Greece are being treated like prisoners of war and that the conduct of the Greek authorities has nothing to do with the law, democracy or respect for human rights.

“Any statements that distort reality do no good service under the current circumstances,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday in response to a query about Milanović’s statements.

“From the first moment, the Governments of Greece and Croatia have been in communication to manage the situation that has arisen after the tragic murder of the Greek fan,” the ministry said.

“The rule of law operates in Greece. Respecting the fundamental rights of all those in temporary detention, the independent Greek judiciary will judge the case impartially and objectively. And the Greek State always guarantees the observance of legality and the integrity of those in prisons,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said.

The 98 Croatians are charged with four counts of felony assault and seven counts of misdemeanour, with the investigation focusing on the murder of the AEK fan, of which a Croat, an Albanian and three Greeks are suspected.

It was the Croatian fans’ families that complained about the treatment of the detained Croatians, asking the Croatian authorities, including President Milanović, for help.

“That’s not what a law-based state should be like. Those people are being treated like prisoners of war…  This verges on the law of war. (The detainees) are being treated like a captured military unit,” Milanović said.

“(The Greek authorities’ conduct) has nothing to do with democracy and respect for human rights. If that is what the EU is today, it would be better if it did not exist,” he added.