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The political program of the Tchetnik movement was
creation of a Serb, ethnically homogenous state – the Greater Serbia
– and elimination of „disloyal“national minorities. The partisan
movement was its main stumbling bloc in the way of achieving these
goals. Consequently, the Tchetnik movement closely cooperated with
occupying forces despite having been declaratively formed to resist
them. In 1943 Draza Mihailovic wrote, „My enemies are partisans,
Ustashi, Muslims and Croats. Once I defeat them I will go for
Italians and Germans.“
This resulted in many crimes by Tchetniks against
civilians, especially in Sandzak and the region’s Bosniak
population: these crimes had all the characteristics of genocide.
Throughout Serbia Tchetniks committed crimes against civilians they
suspected of assisting partisans. So on December 20, 1943 in the
village of Vranic nearby Belgrade they slaughtered 67 people – old
men, women and babies.
Till 1943 the Yugoslav Royal Government in exile
in London had deluded the allies that Mihailovic’s Tchetniks fought
against fascism. However, through their envoys the Headquarters of
the People’s Liberation Army the allies learned the truth. Today’s
supporters of Tchetniks accuse „comrade“Churchill for this turn of
the tide, labeling him a communist.
In September 1944, faced with ironclad proofs,
King Peter called upon Tchetniks to place themselves under Marshall
Tito’s command and join the People’s Liberation Army as the only
anti-fascist movement in the country. Some obeyed, while the great
majority retreated with Germans. Hidden out in mountains Draza
Mihailovic and his closest associates continued fighting against a
new Yugoslavia that derived from the anti-fascist struggle.
Trial of Draza Mihailovic was Yugoslavia’s
international obligation under the Agreement on the Establishment of
International Military Tribunal and UN General Assembly Resolution
on Punishment of War Criminals. Court proceedings were open to the
public and covered by numbers of domestic and foreign reporters.
Draza Mihailovic was sentenced to death for the same crimes for
which Marshall Petain in France, Musert in the Netherlands, Quisling
in Norway and other fascist collaborators were executed: for high
treason, collaborationism and crimes committed by the troops under
his command.
Under the pretext of the necessity to break up
with the communist legacy, invoking the Resolution 1481 of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and claiming that
Serbia could not accede European Union unless it rehabilitates Draza
Mihailovic, Serbia’s political and intellectual elites begun
rehabilitating the Tchetnik movement and its Greater Serbia program
– all of which resulted in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia in
1991-95. War crimes committed in these wars, especially the
Srebrenica genocide, are identical to Tchetnik crimes in WWII.
Persons indicted and sentenced by ITCY such as Biljana Plavsic,
Momcilo Krajisnik, Radovan Karadzic, Vojislav Seselj and others have
proudly called themselves followers of Draza Mihailovic and the
Tchetnik movement.
It was in the footsteps of this ideological pattern that Serbia’s
political class launched judicial rehabilitation of the Tchetnik
movement and Draza Mihailovic. In 2006 it passed a law on equal
rights for Tchetniks and partisans, whereby proclaiming Tchetniks
fighters against fascism. In 2011 it passed a law on rehabilitation
providing rehabilitation of all persons sentenced after WWII on
„political, religious, national or ideological“ grounds, regardless
of whether or not they had committed crimes. This law also provides
considerable damages, pensions, etc. for those who are
rehabilitated.
Today judicial rehabilitation of Draza Mihailovic
is on the agenda of the Higher Court in Belgrade.
Fueling an atmosphere of Tchetnik euphoria,
relativization of fascism and anti-fascism, the growing animosity
for other nations, cheers to Draza Mihailovic at sport stadiums,
establishment of various extreme rightist organizations, denial of
Srebrenica genocide and war crimes in 1991-95, and negation of
Serbia’s responsibility for these wars are even more threatening
than rehabilitation of Draza Mihailovic. The People’s Liberation War
has been completely erased from collective memory. On the other
hand, Serbia is overflowed with Tchetnik iconography,
commemorations, monuments, songs, books and movies – all this
testifies that the political class is after systematic
indoctrination of masses with the Tchetnik ideology.
The public broadcasting service, Radio-Television
of Serbia, prepares a 15-episode serial about the Tchetnik movement
meant to present the heroic partisan struggle against fascism as a
senseless interethnic war of „Serbs against Serbs. “ The serial will
put across the message about the necessity for national unity in
opposing all enemies of the Serb nation. At the recent commemoration
to Draza Mihailovic in St. Sava church in Belgrade, Biljana Plavsic,
who had served her time for the crimes committed in Bosnia, said,
„I’ve always admired Draza Mihailovic and followed his example in
the defense of Serbhood.“ Seven priests of the Serb Orthodox Church
said prayers. Quoting ICTY indictee Vojislav Seselj, one of them
messaged the West:
„We have assembled here to honor a great son of
Serbia. Brothers and sisters, in the past twenty years we have
witnessed the West’s demonization of the Serb nation. But, as
another hero of ours now in The Hague said, ’You, the scum of the
Earth, are not normal’.“
No doubt that this is what Serbia’s political
class messages by rehabilitating the Tchetnik movement and Draza
Mihailovic. And in doing this, it directs the Serb society towards
xenophobia, autism, intolerance and denial of generally recognized
norms of the international law.
The signatories of this appeal raise their voice
against such developments not only in the name of historical truth
but also for the sake of Serbia and Serb people’s prospects.
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