In presence of family and close friends, David Dragicevic was reburied on Friday in a small Austrian town of Wiener Neustadt, a year after his tragic death and initial burial in Bosnian north-western town of Banja Luka
Members of Justice for David group, who have been supporting Dragicevic's parents in their battle for justice for their murdered son, and top international official in Bosnia, Valentin Inzko, also attended the funeral.
“I extend deep condolences to the parents of the late David. As a parent, a human and a Christian, I hope that David's soul will finally rest in peace and in paradise. Truth and justice always find a way, I am convinced it will be the same this time as well,” said Inzko, international community's high representative, overseeing the implementation of the 1995 peace agreement in Bosnia.
Inzko, who is an Austrian diplomat, said he was there for “a pure, humane need to share the pain with David's family and closest friends.”
Disappointed with the investigation into their son's death, the parents decided to rebury the young men from Banja Luka to the Austrian town where Suzana Radanovic, the mother, currently lives.
Dragicevic was found dead in the Crkvena river in March 2018, in what the police initially described was drowning followed by taking drugs.
The parents and part of the public strongly objected the investigation outcome, claiming that the young man was murdered and demanding from authorities in Bosnia's Republika Srpska (RS) entity, where Banja Luka is located, to solve the case.
Followed by continuous protests organised by the father and renewed investigation, the authorities eventually said that what happened was a murder.
Davor Dragicevic, the father, directly blamed the top RS authorities of being involved in his son's death. At the end of the last year, the RS police issued a warrant for Davor Dragicevic for what they said was violating the public peace and order in the protests. Since then he has been on the run and his whereabouts were unknown until Friday when he attended the son's second funeral.
“You killed my child, you killed my family, my home, my candle, my glory, my second name. There is nothing else left for me out there, only the justice for my killed child,” the father said as his son was being laid to rest.
He said he would never forgive the son's death and that “the final decision and final judgement will be his own.”
“Everything was already said and nothing has been done. My dear son, my soul. Our dear David, our soul. I hope you will find the peace today,” he added.
The exhumation of David Dragicevic was carried out on Tuesday at a request of his parents, previously approved by Banja Luka authorities. His mortal remains arrived in Austria on Thursday late afternoon.
