The informal group of citizens "Justice for David" sent an open letter to the High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt, asking him to take action towards improving the situation in Bosnia’s judiciary.
The Justice for David group was formed following the controversial investigation into the death of 21-year-old David Dragicevic in 2018.
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In March 2018, police found the lifeless body of Dragicevic in a river near Banja Luka, the administrative centre of Bosnia's Serb-majority region of Republika Srpska (RS).
A few days later, a pathologist told the media that the cause of death was likely drowning and that Dragicevic had taken drugs. The press conference sparked a series of protests, especially since another autopsy performed on David’s body showed a different time of death.
Dissatisfied with the investigation, the citizens formed a group ‘Justice for David’ led by his father Davor Dragicevic, who swore he would pursue justice no matter what.
The group organized a series of protests in Banja Luka, demanding the truth behind the death of Dragicevic be revealed.
The case was later reclassified into murder.
Davor Dragicevic, who meanwhile moved to Vienna, as well as his supporters, believe RS police is covering up the murder and protecting some politically connected suspects.
The BiH Prosecutor’s Office eventually took over the case and the distraught father returned to BiH to pursue justice.
On Sunday, he set up a tent in front of the BiH Prosecutor's Office, saying he will stay there until the institution intensifies work on the case.
“Four years have passed since the murder of David Dragicevic. Meanwhile, the parents, as well as the group “Justice for David”, exhausted a number of legal possibilities. The whole world is aware of the murder of David Dragicevic, but there is still no progress in resolving the case,” the group wrote to Schmidt, who is tasked with overseeing the civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement in BiH.
“Today we have a situation where a desperate father, in an attempt to get justice for his murdered son, is forced by this ridiculous system to make a desperate move to put his health, and thus his life at the mercy of corrupt judicial officials, but also you from international organizations who, through your silence, contribute to and give enormous support to this ridiculous system,” it says.
The association argued that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) has since the war been telling the citizens that it is up to their elected officials to turn Bosnia and Herzegovina into a functional state where the rule of law will be respected.
“In that case, we ask you, what are you actually doing here? Why do you exist?” the association asked.
It said that “the powerlessness and agony of the corrupt judiciary in BiH has lasted for decades” and that reforms that were implemented in the country’s judiciary brought no results in rule of law, but rather only cosmetic changes, which cost both BiH and countries which helped fund them millions of euros so far.
“This is the last moment for you to justify your existence because the consequences of this situation could be catastrophic. We know that the OHR cannot intervene directly in individual cases before the judiciary, but within your mandate, you can and must intervene by putting pressure on Prosecutors and Courts to bring their actions into line with both domestic and European standards and judicial norms,” the letter says.
