:White Eagles (paramilitary)

{{short description|Serbian paramilitary group}}

{{distinguish|Chetniks}}

{{Infobox military unit

| unit_name = White Eagles

| native_name = Бели орлови
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}}
{{flag|Republic of Serbian Krajina|name=Serbian Krajina}}
{{flag|Republika Srpska (1992–95)|name=Republika Srpska}}

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| nickname = Avengers (Osvetnici)
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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| notable_commanders = Vojislav Šešelj
Mirko Jović
Dragoslav Bokan
Milan Lukić

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The White Eagles ({{langx|sr|Бели орлови|translit=Beli orlovi}}), also known as the Avengers ({{Langx|sr|Осветници|translit=Osvetnici}}),{{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}} were a Serbian paramilitary group associated with the Serbian National Renewal (SNO) and the Serbian Radical Party (SRS).[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2317765.stm "Profile: Vojislav Seselj" BBC News 27 November 2006]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}} The White Eagles fought in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo during the Yugoslav Wars.[http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/2001/kosovo/Po_naredjenju.pdf Po naređenju: ratni zločini na Kosovu] (Izveštaj Human Right Watch-a)

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}}).ICTY, [http://www.icty.org/x/cases/seselj/ind/en/ses-ii030115e.pdf Vojislav Seselj indictment], 15 January 2003 This association was denied by Šešelj."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] 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.{{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}}