Draško Stanivuković Arrested

BANJA LUKA, (Patria) – Member of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Draško Stanivuković was arrested today around 6 PM in Banja Luka, N1 television reported.

"The police just apprehended Draško while he was lighting a candle in the Temple of Christ the Saviour!" it was announced on his Facebook page.

The Banja Luka Police Administration issued a warrant on Monday for Davor Dragičević and four other individuals, members of the "Justice for David" group, which included Stanivuković.

The "Justice for David" group, which brings together thousands of citizens from Banja Luka and the region, has been demanding for almost a year that the authorities reveal who killed 21-year-old David Dragičević in March 2018, accusing the police and political leadership of Republika Srpska of complicity in covering up the crime. The group is led by the murdered young man's father, Davor Dragičević, his mother Suzana, and their friends.

The authorities in Republika Srpska responded with force when the police attempted to break up protests held over the weekend.

Banja Luka police apprehended several members of the "Justice for David" group during protests last week, while banning all future public gatherings of the group.

Currently, Davor Dragičević's whereabouts are unknown. A family member told Patria today that they are considering reporting Davor missing.

World media are also reporting on the protests in Banja Luka. The reputable London newspaper The Guardian recalled the protests in Banja Luka where citizens are seeking truth and justice for the murdered young man David. The Guardian wrote in its Monday edition that citizens at the protests, in addition to the truth about the young man's murder, are also demanding the resignation of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the RS entity, Dragan Lukač.

PDP leader Branislav Borenović warns that any force against peacefully protesting citizens is unacceptable, and that "this government has led to the worst division among the people."