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Religious Freedom Summary* (1997) The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, including private and public worship, and in the Federation the authorities rarely interfered. In general, individuals in their ethnic majority areas, who constitute the great majority of the population, enjoyed unfettered freedom of religion. However, there were some incidents that resulted in damage to religious edifices and cemeteries (see Section 5). In the RS, authorities repeatedly rejected efforts by minorities to visit religious sites and graveyards in their previous areas of residence, and international representatives had to negotiate on a case-by-case basis with authorities for the few such visits that did take place. In February Bosnian Croat police fired at retreating Muslims visiting a graveyard in West Mostar (see Section l.a.). *Source: County Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997, U.S. Department of State |