THREATS TO SERBS AND THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH FROM TUZLA PRISON

TUZLA, OCTOBER 1 /SRNA/ - From Tuzla prison, Dževad Hasić sent a threatening letter to Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/, declaring they are not welcome in the city, and stating that an Orthodox priest would be converted to Islam while the cross would be replaced with the crescent and star.

Hasić, already known for threats and vandalism in Orthodox churches, wrote in the letter that the church bell would be "switched to vibration."

"And the priest with the censer we will convert to Islam so that he can recite the adhan five times a day with the greatest satisfaction," the letter, seen by SRNA, states.

He also wrote that the cross would be replaced with the crescent and star "as in the Al-Aqsa Mosque," ending with the greeting "Allahu Akbar."

His Eminence Bishop Fotije of Zvornik-Tuzla earlier today reacted to the threats against Orthodox Serbs in the Federation of BiH /FBiH/ and the desecration of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God in Tuzla, stressing that this was not an isolated incident but part of a continuous process of attacks on the Orthodox community in FBiH.

The bishop pointed out that the threats came from the same individual who a few months ago desecrated the Church of the Dormition in Tuzla and had already demonstrated a propensity for violent acts.

This is not the first time Hasić has attacked the SOC in Tuzla. In July he was arrested for theft from the Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God.

At that time, a preliminary hearing judge of the Tuzla Municipal Court accepted the prosecutor's motion and ordered one-month detention for Hasić (40) and Kenan Pulješi (32), who were suspected as accomplices in a burglary committed on July 18 at the Cathedral Church of the Dormition.

Both suspects are repeat offenders in crimes against property. Hasić has been convicted 31 times, while Pulješi 18 times, mostly for property-related offenses.