World

Father's quest for truth draws crowds ahead of Bosnian vote

06 of October 2018

Thousands of people take part in a protest accusing the authorities of a coverup after an unresolved death in March of a student in the Bosnian town of Banja Luka, 240 kms northwest of Sarajevo, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Months-long protests over the death of 21-year-old David Dragicevic have posed a challenge to the government of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik ahead of Sunday's election. (AP Photo/Radivoje Pavicic),Thousands of people take part in a protest accusing the authorities of a coverup after an unresolved death in March of a student in the Bosnian town of Banja Luka, 240 kms northwest of Sarajevo, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Months-long protests over the death of 21-year-old David Dragicevic have posed a challenge to the government of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik ahead of Sunday's election. (AP Photo/Radivoje Pavicic)

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The protests he leads have drawn thousands of people for months and have become a symbol of resistance ahead of Bosnia’s tense election on Sunday. But Davor Dragicevic says all he wants is justice for his son.

When the body of 21-year-old David Dragicevic was found in March, police said it was an accident. But the family didn’t believe them, launching a quest for truth that has grown into a wider civil movement against injustice and top-level corruption in the Balkan nation.

Months of rallies in Banja Luka have posed a challenge to President Milorad Dodik, a hardline Serb who is running for a seat in the three-member Bosnian presidency in the country’s general election Sunday.

Chanting “Killers!” thousands joined the protests Friday.

Dragicevic told The Associated Press “we will not give up.”