EU backs protests against Dodik, Putin's favourite

EU diplomats in Bosnia have been declared in support of anti-legal protesters in the Serbian entity led by Russian favourite Milorad Dodik.

Protests began in March by one person, Davor Dragic, who claims that his son, David, has been killed by corrupt authorities.

Police in Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina have said David drowned after he was drunk and drugged, report “.

But Davor Dragic says there have been signs of violence in his body that looked like torture.

The Interior Ministry organised the murder of [my son]... this is a criminal state” with “criminal police “, he said during a rally in October, broadcast Koha.net.

The gathering has since expanded to general anti-corruption and poverty protests in Dodik's area.

They escalated into violence in Banjaluka, Republika Srpska's capital, on Tuesday 25 December after police arrested Dragicevski and his former wife.

Of this incident, a police officer was injured as two opposition deputies were caught in the streets by the anti-trazira police unit, the units who also demolo the memorial in honour of the deceased in the centre of the city.

“was surprising that a father's request for justice for his dead son has mobilised more protesters against the lack of rule of law and impunity in BiH than any political party that has ever defeated”, the EU Embassy in Bosnia said, along with the office of the EU special representative.

Today's development of events in Banjaluk sends negative and alarming signals about the rule of law situation in BiH”, they added.

They also called for immediate “clarification” for the arrest of Davor Dragicevic and opposition deputies.

These events mark a challenge to Dodik's authority, which was re-elected as a Serb member of the Bosnian presidency in October.

Even “Transparency International”, as well as the Party for Democratic Progress (PDP), the main opposition party in Republika Srpska, criticised authorities, broadcast Koha.net.

Tuesday's arrests were “political execution”, TI said.

It was “repression... against the people who are simply searching for the truth”, said Igor Crnadak, the leading politician of PDP's.

EU support for protesters, who aim to hold a new protest Wednesday, came amid Dodik's continuing challenge to EU efforts to maintain stability in the region.

Trazer

The 59-year-old politician, who has strong backing from Moscow, long ago re-called for Bosnian Serbs to be separated from the federation.

He also called on Kosovo Serbs to separate from Kosovo, comments that risk sparking tensions in the Western Balkans, in accordance with Russian efforts to promote instability and prevent the region's enlargement into the EU and NATO.

It is logical that the right to self-rule to be recognised to Serbs in Republika Srpska”, Dodik said Monday, the Koha.net broadcasts.

Bosnian Serbs “are right on this issue, as should Serbs in northern Kosovo”, he added.

These comments “represent direct attacks on BiH's territorial integrity, the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords [which ended the war here] and, with that, on peace in the region”, said Federation Bosnian President Sefik Xhaferovic.

Bosniaks are Bosnian Muslims who make up part of the country alongside Croatian and Serb groups living there.

Zelko Komsic, leader of the Croatian group, also called for reforms in Republika Srpska this week, saying Dodik's police should be placed in service to citizens, not to political parties and irresponsible individuals”.

But for Dodik, this means that the municipalities were using the tragic death of a young man in Banjaque to achieve his own political goals”.

Not for a Russian propaganda medium in Serbian, “Sputnik”, Dodik's police have done nothing wrong.

Russian news agency said Tuesday that Davor Dragic has been arrested because he has tried to flee police who have gone to question him.

Police used “violence devices in accordance with law”, “wrote Sputnik”

One of the opposition PDP deputies was arrested at the rally because “had cut off the police tape” and when “police officers started arresting him”, the other deputy “dol ahead of them”, added Russian news agency “Sputnik”