The Committee for the Protection of Serb Rights in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has reported that dozens of rounds were fired from a firearm at an Orthodox Christian cross and in the direction of the Orthodox cemetery in the settlement of Zaselje near Travnik.
According to the Committee, the apparent intention was to damage and cut through the Orthodox cross.
The cross was erected by a Serb Orthodox resident originally from the area who was expelled from Travnik during the war and now lives in Australia. The purpose of the cross was to mark the cemetery and the area where Serbs once lived. The same individual also financed the fencing of the former Orthodox cemetery in Zaselje.
According to the 1991 census, the settlements of Zaselje and Šuvira had a population of 60 residents, all of whom were Serbs.
The 2013 census recorded no Serb residents in Zaselje.
The Committee has called on the authorities in Travnik and Sarajevo to disclose what steps have been taken to identify and prosecute those responsible for the incident.
It stressed that attacks targeting religious symbols carry elements of public intimidation and that the public has a right to know what actions have been undertaken to identify those responsible for damaging religious property and symbols.
Source: RTRS
