RS police want Friday public gatherings to be called off

The gathering called 'Justice for David' as well as some other gatherings announced for Friday were not reported in line with the law regulations, according to the Ministry, and the police officers will take all measures to prevent possible threats and security risks.

“We call for understanding and patience of all citizens for possible jams that might occur during the increased controls, to respect the orders of police officers and to cooperate with the police,” the Ministry said.

An informal group of citizens 'Justice for David' is led by Davor Dragicevic, a father of late David Dragicevic, who was found dead in March this year in Banja Luka and whose death was first characterised as accidental but the District Prosecutor later said it was a murder. The young man's father has been organising protests since then, claiming that Dragicevic was tortured and brutally murdered, and urging the authorities to find perpetrators.

The father said while announcing the Friday protest that everything will be over on that day, without specifying what he meant by that. He was openly accusing the Interior Ministry representatives and other institutions as accomplices in the murder of his son.

Ahead of the Friday protest, set to take place on Banja Luka's central square, RS Interior Minister Dragan Lukac said the police had an information the protest would among others be attended by football fan groups from Bosnia's Federation (FBiH) entity and persons with, as he pointed out, problematic past. Davor Dragicevic dismissed such claims.

“No group was invited to the protest nor this was a football match or a place where such groups should gather. This is a peaceful gathering of concerned citizens in support to the Dragicevic family,” he stressed.

The police called on Thursday for cancelling of all announced gatherings and said it would “identify and sanction all possible felons in line with the law.”