Speaking at a press conference in the southern coastal city of Split, Djapic also expressed disappointment with the response of the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) to the journalist's arrest.
Djapic said that the arrest was untenable and in violation of Jovic's fundamental civil rights.
Liberal Party (LS) vice-president Zlatko Kramaric also commented on the case on Monday, saying that the arrest was "an example of the extensive interpretation of the Hague tribunal's statute."
Speaking at a press conference in the eastern city of Osijek, Kramaric said that in his opinion Jovic made a mistake when he failed to appear before the tribunal, but noted that there was no point in putting the journalist on trial for publishing information that had been made public previously.
Kramaric said that "courts must be respected", but that his party "believes it is not good when media and journalists are put on trial." He added that Jovic should remain under Croatian jurisdiction in order to settle the misunderstanding.
Jovic, former editor-in-chief of the Slobodna Dalmacija newspaper, had published in the Split-based daily the identity and testimony of a protected witness given in the trial of former Bosnian Croat military commander Tihomir Blaskic. On 9 September the Hague tribunal charged him with contempt of court for that.
Jovic was arrested on 6 October and detained in the Split District Prison pending transfer to The Hague.