White Eagles

White Eagles Full Name: White Eagles Alias: Avengers Beli Orlovi "Chetniks" Origin: Serbia Foundation: 1990 Commanders: Vojislav Šešelj Dragoslav Bokan Mirko Jović Goals: Help establish a "Greater Serbia" (failed) Crimes: Ethnic cleansing War crimes Crimes against humanity Mass murder Genocide Terrorism Arson Kidnapping Torture Rape Xenophobia Misogyny Type of Villain: War Criminals

The White Eagles (Serbian: Бели орлови / Beli orlovi), also known as the Avengers (Осветници / Osvetnici), were a Serbian paramilitary group associated with the Serbian National Renewal (SNO) and the Serbian Radical Party (SRS).The White Eagles fought in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars.

In the 2003 ICTY Vojislav Šešelj indictment, the group is included as an alleged party in the joint criminal enterprise, in which Vojislav Šešelj allegedly took part. In the indictment the group is identified as "volunteer units including 'Chetnik', or Šešeljevci (Serbian Cyrillic: Шешељевци, translated into English as 'Šešelj's men')". This association has been denied by SRS leader Vojislav Šešelj.

The White Eagles are considered to be a death squad by some.

Background

Although the group's members were occasionally referred to as Chetniks, they are not to be confused with the Serbian anticommunist guerrilla group during and after World War II also known as the White Eagles and also referred to as Chetniks. The name White Eagles comes from an anti-communist organisation that was formed during World War II and continued a guerrilla war against Josip Broz Tito's government after the war. White Eagle refers to the national symbol of Serbia, the double headed white eagle under a crown.

The White Eagles paramilitary group was formed in late 1990 by Dragoslav Bokan and Mirko Jović. The group split into different fractions as Bokan and Jović went their separate ways in 1991. Jović called for "a Christian, Orthodox Serbia with no Muslims and no unbelievers". Šešelj states that the group was started by Jović but they got out of his control. According to Šešelj the White Eagles and Arkan's Tigers operated with help from the Yugoslav counterintelligence service.

Testimony at the International War Crimes Tribunal indicates that the White Eagles were responsible for a number of atrocities during the Croatian and Bosnian wars, including: the Voćin massacre, Višegrad massacre, crimes at Foča, Gacko and others. Various members of the White Eagles were indicted by the Tribunal. Mitar Vasiljević received a fifteen-year sentence. Former head, Milan Lukić, received a life sentence for his war crimes which include murdering men, women and children.

It has been also reported that White Eagles managed a concentration camp in Liješće, near Bosanski Brod.