White Eagles (paramilitary): Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Serbian paramilitary group}}

:''For the other Serbian military group named '''White Eagles''', see [[White Eagles (anticommunist)]]. For other uses, see [[White Eagles]].''

{{distinguish|Chetniks}}

[[Image:Beli-Orlovi-First-Battalion-insignia-Serbian-paramilitary.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Sholder patch of the paramilitary group the '''White Eagles'''. The patch reads Beli Orlovi 1st para Batallion]]

{{Infobox military unit

The '''White Eagles''' or '''Beli Orlovi''' ([[Serbian language|Serbian Cyrillic]]: '''Бели Орлови''') (1991-1995) were a Serbian paramilitary group associated with the [[Serb National Renewal]] and the [[Serbian Radical Party]]<ref name="BBC-Seselj">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2317765.stm "Profile: Vojislav Seselj" ''BBC News'' 27 November 2006]</ref> <ref name="Allen"> Allen, Beverly (1996) ''Rape Warfare: The Hidden Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia'' University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pp. 154-155, ISBN 0816628181 </ref>. This association has been denied by SRS leader [[Vojislav Šešelj]].<ref>"In previous wars (Bosnia, Croatia) there was a small paramilitary organisation called White Eagles, but the Serb Radical Party had absolutely nothing to do with them."[http://www.un.org/icty/transe54/050823IT.htm Testimony of Vojislav Šešelj, Transcript of 23 August 2005, p. 43081, lines 16-18]</ref> The White Eagles fought in the [[War in Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian conflict]] <ref name="BBC-Seselj"/> <ref name="Allen"/>

| unit_name = White Eagles

| native_name = Бели орлови<br>''Beli orlovi''

| image = White eagles.svg

| image_size = 205

| caption = Coat-of-arms of the White Eagles

| dates = 1991–1999

| country =

| allegiance = {{flag|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|name=Yugoslavia}}<br>{{flag|Republic of Serbian Krajina|name=Serbian Krajina}}<br>{{flag|Republika Srpska (1992–95)|name=Republika Srpska}}

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| nickname = Avengers (''Osvetnici'')<br>Šešelj's men (''Šešeljevci'')

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| battles = {{tree list}}

*[[Croatian War of Independence]]

**[[Battle of Borovo Selo]]

**[[Battle of Vukovar]]

**[[Capture of Cerić]]

**[[1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia]]

**[[Voćin massacre]]

*[[Bosnian war]]

**[[1992 Yugoslav campaign in Bosnia]]

**Defense of Foča

**[[Zvornik massacre]]

**[[Štrpci massacre]]

**{{ill|Battle of Zvornik (1992)|lt=Battle of Zvornik|bs|Bitka za Zvornik}}

**[[Doboj massacre]]

**[[Bijeljina massacre]]

*[[Kosovo War]]

{{tree list/end}}

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| disbanded = <!-- Commanders -->

| commander1 =

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| commander4 =

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| notable_commanders = [[Vojislav Šešelj]]<br />[[Mirko Jović]]<br />[[Dragoslav Bokan]]<br />[[Milan Lukić]]

<!-- Insignia -->| identification_symbol =

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}}

The '''White Eagles''' ({{langx|sr|Бели орлови|translit=Beli orlovi}}), also known as the '''Avengers''' ({{Langx|sr|Осветници|translit=Osvetnici}}),<ref name="ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement">{{cite web|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/milan_lukic_sredoje_lukic/tjug/en/090720_j.pdf|title=ICTY: Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić judgement}}</ref> were a Serbian [[paramilitary]] group associated with the [[Serbian National Renewal]] (SNO) and the [[Serbian Radical Party]] (SRS).<ref name="BBC-Seselj">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2317765.stm "Profile: Vojislav Seselj" ''BBC News'' 27 November 2006]</ref><ref name="Allen">Allen, Beverly (1996) ''Rape Warfare: The Hidden Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia'' University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pp. 154-155, {{ISBN|0-8166-2818-1}}</ref> The White Eagles fought in [[Croatian war|Croatia]], [[Bosnian war|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Kosovo war|Kosovo]] during the [[Yugoslav Wars]].<ref name="BBC-Seselj"/><ref name="Allen"/><ref name="Po naređenju">[http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/2001/kosovo/Po_naredjenju.pdf Po naređenju: ratni zločini na Kosovu] (Izveštaj Human Right Watch-a)</ref>

In the 2003 [[Vojislav Šešelj]] indictment from the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]], the group is included as an alleged party in a [[joint criminal enterprise]] of ethnic cleansing, in which SRS leader Šešelj allegedly took part. In the indictment the group is identified as "volunteer units including '[[Chetniks]]', or '''Šešeljevci'''" ({{lang-sr-Cyrl|Шешељевци}}).<ref name=cis-seselj>ICTY, [http://www.icty.org/x/cases/seselj/ind/en/ses-ii030115e.pdf Vojislav Seselj indictment], 15 January 2003</ref> This association was denied by Šešelj.<ref>"In previous wars (Bosnia, Croatia) there was a small paramilitary organisation called White Eagles, but the Serb Radical Party had absolutely nothing to do with them."[http://www.icty.org/x/cases/pavkovic/trans/en/050823IT.htm Testimony of Vojislav Šešelj, Transcript of 23 August 2005, p. 43081, lines 16-18]</ref> On 31 March 2016, he was acquitted in a first-instance verdict on all counts by the ICTY, a ruling which still holds today, barring an unrelated conviction from its successor ([[International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals]]) for instigating deportation of Croats from the Serbian village of [[Hrtkovci]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trial Judgement in the case of Vojislav Šešelj delivered {{!}} International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia |url=https://www.icty.org/en/press/trial-judgement-in-the-case-of-vojislav-seselj-delivered |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=www.icty.org}}</ref>

White Eagle refers to the national symbol of [[Serbia]], the double headed white eagle under a crown. The name White Eagles comes from an anti-communist organization that was formed during [[World War II]] and continued a guerilla war against [[Josip Broz Tito|Tito’s]] government after the war. The new White Eagles were formed in 1991-1992 by Dragoslav Bokan and [[Mirko Jović]]<ref>Glenny, Misha (1992) ''The Fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War'' Penguin, London, p. 39, ISBN 0140172882 </ref><ref>Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war'' Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, p. 245, ISBN 0300076681 </ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/milosevic/020531bocropretrialbrief.pdf ''THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA Case No. IT-02-54-T, Prosecution's Secnd Pre-Trial Brief (Croatia and Bosnia Indictments'' 31 May 2002, p. 90]</ref>. Šešelj states that the White Eagles were started by [[Mirko Jović]] but they got out of his control.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/transe54/050824IT.htm Testimony of Vojislav Šešelj, Transcript of 24 August 2005, p. 43128, lines 6-8]</ref>

==Name==

Testimony at the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia|International War Crimes Tribunal]] indicates that the White Eagles were responsible for a number of [[Atrocity |atrocities]]<ref name="Allen"/> during the [[War in Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian conflict]], for example at [[Foča]] <ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/transe23/000327ed.htm Testimony of Witness 52, Transcript of 27 March 2000]</ref> and [[Gacko]]<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/transe23/000327ed.htm Testimony of Witness 192, Transcript of 4 May 2000]</ref> Various members of the White Eagles were indicted by the Tribunal, including: [[Mitar Vasiljević]]<ref>[http://vijesti.hrt.hr/arhiv/2001/09/10/ENG.html Croatian "Evening News" 9 September 2001]</ref> and Milan Lukic<ref>[http://www.wcl.american.edu/warcrimes/icty_status.cfm "AU Washington College of Law: War Crimes Research Office - ICTY Status Reports" 21 February 2006]</ref>

Although the group's members were occasionally referred to as [[Chetniks]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.earlham.edu/~pols/ps17971/terneel/bassiouni.html |title=United Nations Commission on Breaches of Geneva Law in Former Yugoslavia |access-date=30 December 2007 |archive-date=8 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808030659/http://www.earlham.edu/~pols/ps17971/terneel/bassiouni.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> the name White Eagles comes from the [[anti-communist]] and [[pro-fascist]] paramilitary unit that was formed during [[World War II]], known as [[Serbian Volunteer Corps (World War II)|Serbian Volunteer Corps]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Andrea Mammone |editor2=Emmanuel Godin |editor3=Brian Jenkins |title=Mapping the Extreme Right in Contemporary Europe: From Local to Transnational |date=2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136330384 |page=164}}</ref> White Eagle refers to the [[national symbol]] of [[Serbia]], the double-headed white eagle under a crown.

==NotesHistory==

The White Eagles were founded at the end of 1990. The unit's emblem was a white [[double-headed eagle]] on a red shield. Its leaders were [[Vojislav Šešelj]], [[Mirko Jović]], [[Dragoslav Bokan]] and [[Milan Lukić]].<ref name="indict">{{cite book |author1=Norman L. Cigar |author2=Paul R. Williams |title=Indictment at the Hague: The Milosevic Regime and Crimes of the Balkan Wars |date=2002 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814716267 |pages=167, 170}}</ref><ref name="birn">{{cite web |title=Hague Tribunal Upholds Visegrad Crimes Verdict |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2012/12/04/hague-tribunal-to-deliver-verdict-for-visegrad-crimes/ |website=Balkan Insight |date=4 December 2012}}</ref> They participated in attacks on the settlement of [[Slatina, Croatia|Slatina]] in western [[Slavonia]], [[Lovas, Croatia|Lovas]] in October, and [[Vukovar]] in November 1991.{{sfn|Thomas|Mikulan|2006|p=43}}

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==Bosnian War==

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In the [[Bosnian War|Bosnian war]], White Eagles participated in attacks on [[Bosniaks|Bosniak]] paramilitary units that occupied [[Bijeljina]] and defended [[Višegrad]]. In 1992, Šešelj's men, together with [[Serbian Volunteer Guard|Arkan's Tigers]], captured [[Zvornik]].<ref name="indict" />

{{FootnotesSmall|resize=100%}}

Members of the White Eagles have been accused of the [[Višegrad massacres|Višegrad massacre]],<ref>{{cite web |title="Updates From the International Criminal Courts" |url=http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/15/1criminal.pdf}}. p. 40, 20 July 2007, American University Washington College of Law: War Crimes Research Office</ref> and the [[Foča ethnic cleansing|Foča massacre]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Testimony of Witness 52, Transcript of 27 March 2000 |url=http://www.un.org/icty/transe23/000327ed.htm}}</ref>

The prosecution claimed that these killings were incited by Šešelj's speech, which was dismissed by the Hague Tribunal.<ref name="optužnica2">{{cite news |title=Detalji optužnice protiv Šešelja |url=http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2003&mm=02&dd=14&nav_id=101179}}</ref> There are also unproven allegations that the White Eagles operated a detention camp in [[Liješće (Brod)|Liješće]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Prison Camps |url=http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/comexpert/ANX/VIII-02.htm}}</ref>

== Reappearance ==

In December 2010 a group called "White Eagles" ({{langx|sr|{{lang|sr-Cyrl|Бели Орлови}} / {{lang|sr-Latn|Beli Orlovi}}}}) took responsibility for the killing of Kosovo's [[Bosniak]] leader Šefko Salković in the north of Kosovo. The group also took responsibility for obstructions of the election process in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, as well as for attacking [[Kosovo Force|KFOR]] troops.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-12-11 |title=Kosovo Holds First Parliamentary Election |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/article----111748279/132167.html |access-date=2025-06-10 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Serb organization “Beli Orlovi” takes over the killing of Salkovic :: EMG :: Business news from Serbia 2010 |url=https://emg.rs/en/news/serbia/141553.html |access-date=2025-06-10 |website=emg.rs}}</ref>

== References ==

{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20220419181644/http://www2.scc.rutgers.edu/serbiandigest/113/t113-7.htm Eagles with Clipped Wings (Vreme News Digest Agency No 113; 22 November 1993)]

* [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/white_eagles.htm "White Eagles - Serbian Radical Party (SRS)" Federation of American Scientists, 1998]

* [http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/serbian_digest/113/t113-7.htm (22 November 1993) Vreme News Digest Agency No 113]

{{Yugoslav wars}}

[[Category:Paramilitary organizations]]

{{Serbian minority institutions and organizations in Croatia}}

[[Category:Bosnian War]]

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:White Eagles (Paramilitary)}}

[[no:Hvite ørner (paramilitære)]]

[[Category:Paramilitary organizations in the Yugoslav Wars]]

{{Mil-hist-stub}}

[[Category:Military units and formations of the Croatian War of Independence]]

[[Category:Chetniks]]

[[Category:Military units and formations of the Bosnian War]]

[[Category:Military wings of fascist parties]]

[[Category:Paramilitary organizations based in Serbia]]

[[Category:1991 establishments in Serbia]]

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1991]]

[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1995]]

[[Category:Anti-communist organizations]]