White Eagles (paramilitary)

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

Sholder patch of the paramilitary group the White Eagles. The patch reads Beli Orlovi 1st para Batallion

The White Eagles or Beli Orlovi (Serbian Cyrillic: Бели Орлови) (1991-1995) were a Serbian paramilitary group associated with the Serb National Renewal and the Serbian Radical Party^{[1] [2]}. This association has been denied by SRS leader Vojislav Šešelj.^[3] The White Eagles fought in the Bosnian conflict ^{[1] [2]}

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 Tito’s government after the war. The new White Eagles were formed in 1991-1992 by Dragoslav Bokan and Mirko Jović^[4][5][6]. Šešelj states that the White Eagles were started by Mirko Jović but they got out of his control.^[7]

Testimony at the International War Crimes Tribunal indicates that the White Eagles were responsible for a number of atrocities^[2] during the Bosnian conflict, for example at Foča ^[8] and Gacko^[9] Various members of the White Eagles were indicted by the Tribunal, including: Mitar Vasiljević^[10] and Milan Lukic^[11]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Profile: Vojislav Seselj" BBC News 27 November 2006
2. ^ ^{a b c} Allen, Beverly (1996) Rape Warfare: The Hidden Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pp. 154-155, ISBN 0816628181
3. ^ "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."Testimony of Vojislav Šešelj, Transcript of 23 August 2005, p. 43081, lines 16-18
4. ^ Glenny, Misha (1992) The Fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War Penguin, London, p. 39, ISBN 0140172882
5. ^ Tanner, Marcus (1997) Croatia: a nation forged in war Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, p. 245, ISBN 0300076681
6. ^ 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
7. ^ Testimony of Vojislav Šešelj, Transcript of 24 August 2005, p. 43128, lines 6-8
8. ^ Testimony of Witness 52, Transcript of 27 March 2000
9. ^ Testimony of Witness 192, Transcript of 4 May 2000
10. ^ Croatian "Evening News" 9 September 2001
11. ^ "AU Washington College of Law: War Crimes Research Office - ICTY Status Reports" 21 February 2006

[edit] External links

• "White Eagles - Serbian Radical Party (SRS)" Federation of American Scientists, 1998
• (22 November 1993) Vreme News Digest Agency No 113

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