Croatia on Thursday slammed the acquittal of Vojislav Seselj on war crimes charges arising from the 1990s Balkan conflicts, banning the radical Serb leader from entering the country.
"Croatia cannot and will not accept this shameful verdict and we will continue to do everything we can so that justice is served," said Croatia's President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, according to the state-run HINA news agency.
Prosecutors accused Seselj of being behind the murders of many Croats and other non-Serb civilians, as well as the forced deportation of "tens of thousands" of people from parts of the former Yugoslavia, including Croatia.
But he was acquitted Thursday on all nine counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague.
"The interior ministry told border police to deny Seselj entry into Croatia if he appears at a border crossing," police spokeswoman Helena Biocic told AFP, saying he could represent a threat to public order.
Following the ruling Seselj jokingly told media in Belgrade -- where he was allowed to return for cancer treatment in 2014 -- that he expected Croatia "to invite me for an official visit".
Croatia's Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic described the verdict as "shameful".
"He is a man... who committed evil and did not show any remorse, neither then nor today," Oreskovic said.