Page 779 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

’On December 5, 1972 several albanians from the vil- lage of Djinovci entered the forest of the monastery of the Holy Trinity and cut down nine trees. On that day i was in Suva Reka on business. The sisters tried to prevent them from taking the logs but they swore at them and neverthe- less took them. i addressed the president of the Socialist League of the village of Mušutište, Reša Bitići. He said i needed to tell him the names of the people involved. as i did not know the names, i let the matter pass, hoping that it would not be repeated.
But on Sunday, December 31, 1972, when i went with three sisters to the church to take communion, three alba- nians from Djinovci came and by noon they had cut down 22 (twenty-two) trees in the monastery forest. Nuns Heru- vima and Veronika with novice Milica went out and told them that the timber belonged to the monastery. in re- sponse they swore and insulted their Serbian mothers, say- ing that this belonged to them and not the church and be- gan to pull the timber. The sisters sat on the logs to prevent them from taking them. One of the men, soldier on leave ismet Rasimi adžijaj, pushed nun Heruvima and she fell. Ćazim Rasimi pushed nun Veronika. at that point Galip, a worker in Progres from Selogražde came on his own busi- ness and said: Ćazim, the timber is the church’s and don’t argue with women. at that point i also arrived. They took the timber and came back to get what remained at night.’
Submitting the above to the Municipal assembly in Suva Reka, we appeal to the same to undertake necessary mea- sures to put an end to the violence against the property of the Serbian Church and protect the nuns of the aforemen- tioned monastery from aggression from any perpetrator because they, like all other citizens of this country, have the right to expect this. The perpetrators of the violence should be punished and the monastery compensated for damages.”
and carry out their merciless cutting night and day, i.e. ev- ery day it is absolutely impossible to fend off this menace, and there is no support from state officials, administrators or forestry officials.
On numerous occasions i have appealed for protection to the addressee and other officials but no support or pro- tection were given and consequently clashes occur daily because of cutting of the forest and inflicting of damage to this property, which is of particular importance to the town itself. Many of the lumberjacks are cutting trees in the for- est every day to sell them and have found this as a source of their income.
We note that representatives of the Church were per- sonally received the president of SO Preševo on December 13, 1972, and received promises of help and protection but all they received were promises and nothing was done.
The representatives of the church informed the Police Station in Preševo on December 20, 1972, December 24, 1972, and january 5, 1973 but the Police Station also did nothing toward protecting the forest from inflicted dam- ages.
The damage done is enormous and exceeds the sum of 50,000.00 dinars, which can be established by forming a commission that would go out to the scene and see the wasteland that has resulted.
Of the numerous lumberjacks we list the following:
1. ibraimović jusena Sami from Preševo, who cut down trees more than 20 times,
2. elezović Šukrija Zećir from Preševo,
3. Šabani afza Veduš “Damuk” from Preševo, caught six times,
4. Šabani afza asip “Damuk” from Preševo, caught five times,
6. Šabani Zijadina Selajdin from Preševo, Karpuševa Street, who cuts down trees every year and was caught do- ing so again on january 9, 1973,
The Suffering and Persecution in Kosovo and Metohija from 1945 to 2005
The Holy Synod of Bishops submitted a transcript of
this, too, to the President of the Federal executive Council,
Džemal Bijedić, with a request for the protection of the
holy shrines of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its nuns
inthispartofourhomeland.”89 7.BajramN.,butcherfromPreševo,whocutdowntrees
in the same meeting the Holy Synod of Bishops dis- cussed the petition of His Grace Bishop Pavle of Raška and Prizren No 11 from june 10, 1973, stating the following:
’The Serbian Orthodox church parish in Preševo by act No 1 from january 15, 1973, has forwarded the following:
“The Serbian Orthodox Church dedicated to St. Deme- trius in Preševo has a complex of forests, orchards and some tillable land around the church. This forest has been main- tained and protected for decades from timbering, it was even protected from the occupation government, because the importance of it for the town was understood, since it represents the lungs of the town.
The church on its part through its delegates is attempt- ing to protect this forest but since the lumberjacks are armed
89 AHSB, Syn No 164/zap. 48, Feb. 6, 1973.
repeatedly,
8. Bećiri adem “alimetski” from Preševo, who cut down
trees repeatedly,
9. Bektaši Kurteš from Preševo, who cut down trees
repeatedly,
10. Feta N., miller from Preševo, who cut down trees re-
peatedly,
11. Cvetković, arsić Stanimir from Preševo,
12. Lilić Stojadin from Preševo,
13. edeklerović Dragan from Preševo, who cut down trees
together with Bajram N., the butcher,
14. Unknown person from the village of Mučibabe, whose
name we have not learned, also cuts down trees repeatedly, 15. agim N. from the village of Čukarke, who pulled a gun while cutting down trees on a church representative,
when he was caught and his gun has been confiscated,
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5. Šabani ajdina Ramiz “Damuk” from Preševo, caught twice,