FBiH MUST RESPECT THE INVIOLABILITY OF PRIVATE PROPERTY!

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, FEBRUARY 4 /SRNA/ - SNSD member of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Miroslav Vujičić told SRNA today that since the war until today, enormous pressure has been exerted in the Federation of BiH /FBiH/ on the property of Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/, which is unacceptable because, according to the UN Charter, private property is inviolable.

"What has been happening in recent days in Mostar and Zenica is not good for BiH at all, because it indicates a continuation of pressure and seizure of Serbian property in the FBiH," Vujičić said, recalling that a mosque had been built on private Serbian property owned by the Kureš family in Bradina, which was later demolished, while in Bijelo Polje a religious facility was also built on Serbian land. According to him, even an Orthodox church was at one point registered as state property, but that decision was reversed, as such a discriminatory approach leads nowhere, especially not to coexistence and interreligious tolerance in BiH. He emphasized that property, according to the UN Charter, is inviolable and belongs to its owners, and if the FBiH wants to follow the European path, it must respect the institution of private ownership. Vujičić added that there are many similar negative cases around Sarajevo and the Sarajevo Field, where Serbian property was usurped and destroyed after the war in BiH. "I hope that the time will come when the rights of all constituent peoples in BiH will be respected, rather than rights applying only to Bosniaks or Croats in the FBiH while Serbs are treated as second-class citizens. In Republika Srpska, full equality prevails, so Bosniaks living in Republika Srpska have all rights that protect and respect their property," Vujičić said. According to him, if Bosniaks and their representatives in government want to build BiH, the ownership rights of Serbs must be respected. Vujičić recalled that in the FBiH there is still a large amount of property owned by Serbs and the SOC that has not yet been returned to its rightful owners. "Unfortunately, we are witnessing continued attempts to usurp Serbian property, both private and institutional, which is particularly visible in attacks on SOC property in the FBiH," Vujičić said. The Municipal Court in Mostar registered in the land registry that the "state" is the owner of two cemeteries - in Vrapčići with a chapel and in Gornji Vrapčići with a church - as well as a church in the Čelebići settlement in Konjic. The Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Zenica and the land around the temple had been registered as "state property", while the Zavala Monastery currently belongs to the municipality of Ravno in the FBiH. However, the centuries-old property of the SOC in Zenica is no longer considered "state property". After the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was registered under BiH ownership in 2019, a legal reversal followed, as on January 30 the competent court restored ownership of the property in Zenica to the SOC.