The case of David Dragicevic, a 21-year-old who was killed in March last year under yet unresolved circumstances, is still shaking Bosnia and his mother has on Thursday announced via social media that David’s exhumed remains will be reburied at a cemetery in Vienna, Austria.
David’s body will be exhumed from the cemetery in Banja Luka, the administrative centre of Bosnia’s Serb-majority semi-autonomous entity, Republika Srpska (RS), on March 12 and subsequently transported to Austria.
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“Dear good people who stand with us in our pain, who understand us, who understand why it is important for us that David finds his peace far away from the state and the city where he was killed, and who want to attend the final farewell of our David, I want to inform you that the funeral will take place on Friday, March 15th, at the city cemetery, Wiener Straße 108 2700 Wiener Neustadt,” David’s mother Suzana Radanovic posted on Facebook.
Dragicevic was murdered in March 2018 and, initially, police said that he had taken drugs and drowned in a river near Banja Luka.
The explanation sparked public outrage and angered the young man’s father, Davor Dragicevic, who swore he would pursue justice no matter what.
Citizens have been gathering in Banja Luka for nearly a year under the slogan ‘Justice for David’ to protest against RS authorities, demanding the truth behind the death of Dragicevic to be revealed. Davor Dragicevic and his supporters believe RS police is covering up the murder and protecting some politically connected suspects.
Their gatherings grew into the largest anti-government protests Bosnia has seen since the war.
RS authorities temporarily detained numerous supporters of the group throughout the past few months, including the leader, Davor Dragicevic.
He is currently on the run. There is a warrant out against him for disturbing public security with the protests.
Davor’s whereabouts remain unknown. It is also unknown whether he will attend the funeral.
But many citizens of Banja Luka and all of Bosnia are expected to show up.
“That day carries a powerful message, which is that here, not even the dead find peace,” said Ozren Perduv, a member of the ‘Justice for David’ movement.
The message is also a reminder that after he was killed, David was “dragged through the mud and criminalised,” and so were his parents and those who supported the Dragicevic family, he said.
Perduv said that those supporting the family are constantly facing pressure and are often questioned by the police.
“We notice that people in front of the Church are constantly being held up by police and we notice that we are a threat to the government. Why? We are standing there only holding lit candles,” he said.
According to lawyer Anto Nobilo, who used to be a member of an international legal team representing the Dragicevic family, the case has become politicised.
“The Justice for David movement has gone completely into politics, and now that has become clearer,” Nobilo told N1 on Thursday, adding that Davor Dragicevic has been saying that he secured the votes the opposition in the RS got in the October 2018 General Election.
The lawyer also accused Dragicevic of frequently spreading false information and accusations in the public.
But Milan Malesevic, a lawyer representing the Dragicevic family from Banja Luka, criticised Nobilo's statement.
“It is unethical for a lawyer to, especially in cases in which his power of attorney was taken away, later speak about that case,” Malesevic said.
