Numerous Serbs have contacted the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina because their land in the FBiH has been illegally occupied without consent, and in some cases buildings have been erected on their plots, Nezavisne reports.
According to data from the Committee, this problem is evident in several local communities in the FBiH, and testimonies from Serbs who own property in the FBiH confirm that, in attempting to exercise their rights, they have encountered numerous obstacles.
“The property left by my grandfather in Sanica near Ključ was never divided, and after appeals by Serbian associations that this must be done, in 2021 I initiated the procedure, with the selfless support of those same associations and the Office for Free Legal Aid. However, the procedure in the Federation of BiH is being conducted very slowly,” a woman from Banja Luka who owns property in the FBiH told Nezavisne novine.
She says they constantly encountered problems and excuses from institutions claiming they had too much work.
“There was always some document missing, and we were informed about this in an untimely manner, and only after my insistence on finding out what was happening with the case. The procedure was initiated with a notary in Sanski Most, only for us to recently receive information from them that after all this time they had nevertheless declared themselves incompetent, and told us that probate proceedings are conducted according to the place of residence of the deceased, so after four years they decided to transfer the case to Prijedor. So, nothing has been completed yet,” says this woman from Banja Luka.
The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in the FBiH points out that a significant number of Serbs have so far reported that their land in the FBiH has been illegally occupied without consent.
Committee President Đorđe Radanović emphasized that Serbs are coming forward seeking legal protection and a way to regain possession of their land.
“There are no words to describe that today, in the 21st century, anyone can occupy someone else’s possession or property and use it without asking, and without taking into account the fact that it is Serbian land and that the Serbian owner of the land did not give consent for the use of his land,” Radanović said.
So far, as reported by Srna, it has been recorded that Serbian land has been usurped in the places Borci and Bradina (Konjic), in the villages of Hrgar, Ripač, Pritoka, Lohovo and Doljani (Bihać), in the villages of Putovići and Ponihovo (Zenica), in the villages of Ošve and Misurići (Maglaj), in the places Kondžilo, Dračići, Jehovina, Gornji Lučani (Kakanj), in the village of Okruglica (Vareš), and in the villages of Mitrovići, Vukmanovići and Priluk (Zavidovići).
Radanović stressed that Serbs who are registered in the cadastre and land registry as possessors and owners were not even asked whether their land could be used, and emphasized that some Bosniaks have built auxiliary and lodging facilities on Serbian land for their own needs.
He said that so far they have drawn up several documents addressed to the authorities on behalf of Serbs who have contacted them to protect their possessions from unlawful interference, and that they are requesting the police to prevent the arbitrariness of individuals who acquire unlawful property benefit by using Serbian land for their own needs without a legal basis.
“With an act addressed to the authorities in the Federation, we are interrupting the limitation periods,” he said.
The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in the Federation of BiH called on Serbs who wish to reclaim their property to contact them by phone at 00387 065 090 040, Viber, and WhatsApp.
“If a Serb does not come forward and indicate that the land is his, and a Bosniak or Croat uses Serbian land, after the expiration of a period of 20 years a Bosniak or Croat can acquire ownership rights,” Radanović emphasized.
“To prevent that, we will, for Serbs who contact us, draw up a written act and send it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and thereby stop that time period. That is, cut off the period for acquiring ownership rights that Bosniaks and Croats are using. We must interrupt that running period,” Radanović concluded.
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Source: Telegraf.rs, Ilustracija: RINA