Condemnation of the desecration of the Catholic cemetery Veresika in Tuzla

TUZLA, (Patria) - The Interreligious Cooperation Board of Tuzla strongly condemns the vandalistic act of desecrating the Catholic cemetery „Veresika“ in the Tuzla suburb of Tetima, which was carried out twice this month: first on the night of 18-19 January 2020, and again on the night of 22-23 January 2020.

"In the first act of vandalism, unknown perpetrators broke into a prefabricated building within the cemetery, which serves as technical support for workers who bury the deceased, during which a padlock was forced, the door was broken, items were scattered and destroyed, and several objects were stolen from the building itself. That same night, the said burglars lit a fire on the plateau in front of the farewell chapel within the cemetery, using candles and candlesticks that they had stolen from nearby graves. This case of vandalism was reported to the Tuzla police station, and police officers conducted an investigation, with the search for the perpetrators ongoing.

The second act of this vandalism truly surprised and worried the residents of the Kosci and Tetima settlements, who bury their deceased in this cemetery. Namely, on the aforementioned night (22-23 January 2020), inside the cemetery itself, candlesticks, flower holders, statues, and other items that were on individual graves were broken. The most morbid act was the opening of several tombs, thereby truly desecrating the final resting places of our fellow citizens.

We condemn this act and appeal to the competent institutions, the Ministry of Interior of Tuzla Canton, to investigate and identify the perpetrators of this vandalistic desecration of the graves of our fellow citizens at the Catholic cemetery „Veresika“, and we call on the entire public, political and judicial institutions to do everything in their power to ensure that such misdeeds are not repeated. Namely, similar desecrations of graves at this location have occurred before, and the perpetrators have not been prosecuted. For this reason, the residents of these Tuzla settlements are worried and surprised by the negligence of the competent institutions.

The OMS Tuzla, which brings together the religious communities of the city of Tuzla in the project of interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, also calls on the public to distance itself from political or any other kind of manipulation of this heinous act. We call on all citizens of the City of Tuzla and all people of good will to work on creating a culture of mutual respect for our religious and other differences, and to affirm a culture of dialogue and dignified treatment of the places where our fellow citizens rest", the statement said.