wfn.org | [APD] Adventist Church in Serbia requests protection from international community

[Christian B. Schäffler <APD@stanet.ch>]

[APD] Adventist Church in Serbia requests protection from international
community

>December 6, 2008

>APD News Flash

>News Agency APD

>CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

><mailto:APD@stanet.ch> APD@stanet.ch

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[APD] Adventist Church in Serbia requests protection from international
community -

Members fear for their safety as churches are vandalized, threatened

Belgrade/Serbia [ANN/APD]    Criminals broke windows, scrawled threats  on
walls and destroyed private property at five Seventh-day Adventist  churches
in Serbia in November, prompting church leaders in the region to appeal  to
the international community for help.

The latest acts of violence came after a year of escalating crimes  against
Adventists in Serbia, according to a statement released by church  leaders in
the South-East European region.

"We acquainted the ... authorities with these happenings, and because
incidents like these are happening repeatedly, we decided that the  measures
taken are not efficient nor they are providing protection and safety to  the
church members and assets," president for the Adventist Church in  South-East
Europe Miodrag Zivanovic said in the appeal sent out Friday.

Zivanovic said the Serbian government has not taken steps to protect the
Adventist Church against crime and violence, and local law enforcement  has
not tried to capture and punish the perpetrators.

Copies of the appeal were sent to the Serbian government, the  Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe  (COE),
and the embassies for the United States of America, Germany and  Australia,
the Serbia based Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) in
Zrenjanin, and the Adventist world church headquarters.

Most recent vandalism began in January 2008 when churches in the towns  of
Sivac, Kula and Kragujevac were sprayed with graffiti threats, the  appeal
said. In October, the windows of the Adventist church in Kragujevac were
shattered, followed by breaking and entering at local church  headquarters in
Belgrade in November. The Belgrade vandals were caught on security  camera as
they damaged cars in the parking lot.

No arrests have been made at the time of the appeal.

According to Adventist Church officials hatred attacks on Christian  Churches
in Serbia are continuing since more than six years.

The leaders of the Adventist Church in the South-East European region
appealed in April 2003 in an "Open Letter" to the Serbian governmental
authorities that "all those incidents contribute to the feelings of
insecurity and discontent with the measures taken for the protection of  our
rights to freely practice our religious convictions." Also in July 2007  they
called on the government to "secure a peaceful and safe life in which  the
indestructible spirit of tolerance, understanding and trust will rule."
[Editors: Megan Brauner and Christian B. Schäffler for ANN/APD]

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