# Serbian Chetnik Movement (1990)

Serbian Chetnik Movement (Serbian: Српски четнички покрет, Srpski četnički pokret, abbr. SČP) was an unregistered political party in Serbia and later a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars. The party was founded and led by Vojislav Šešelj, a former lecturer at the University of Sarajevo and member of Serbian Renewal Movement. Due to its open connections with World War II-era Chetniks, the party was not permitted to be registered and was barred from participating in the 1990 Serbian general election. Šešelj instead participated in the presidential election as an independent candidate, placing fifth. The party's ideology centered on ultranationalism and promotion of Greater Serbia.
After the elections, SČP merged with the People's Radical Party to create the Serbian Radical Party, with Šešelj as its president. During the Yugoslav Wars, SRS appropriated SČP as its paramilitary unit. It was active in the Eastern Slavonia front and Bosnian War, where it had committed crimes against Croat and Muslim civilians. At times, Šešelj both supported and condemned SČP, although the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia concluded that Šešelj exercised authority over them. In April 1994, SRS announced the dissolution of SČP.

## History
### As a political party

Vojislav Šešelj was a member of the League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SKBiH) and a lecturer at the University of Sarajevo in the early 1980s. In 1981, he was expelled from SKBiH for allegedly promoting "nationalist and anarcho-liberal ideas". Later, in 1984, he was jailed for authoring a manifesto calling for Yugoslavia's restructuring and the establishment of a Greater Serbian republic. He was condemned to four years in Zenica jail, but only spent 22 months. He gained significant attention in Belgrade, and following his release, he grew close to writer Vuk Drašković. Šešelj founded the Serbian Freedom Movement in January 1990, however, it was short-lived. In March, it merged with Drašković's faction of the Serbian National Renewal to create the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO). Šešelj and Drašković were, however, unable to cooperate, leading to Šešelj's departure from SPO in May.
Šešelj established the Serbian Chetnik Movement (SČP) as a political party on 18 June 1990. However, the party was denied registration due to its open connections with World War II-era Chetniks. Aleksandar Stefanović [sr] of the Liberal Party defected to SČP shortly after its founding. On 25 June, Slobodan Milošević, the president of Serbia, proposed a referendum to proclaim a new constitution. In response, an opposition protest was organised outside the building of Radio Television Belgrade, where Šešelj gave a speech critical of the government. Opposition parties argued that the referendum should be postponed until after the first multiparty elections. The new constitution was accepted by voters, with a turnout of 78%. In September, SČP organised a protest after being denied registration in the political party registry. Opposition parties later organised another protest, this time to present their demands for better election campaign conditions. At the end of the protest, Šešelj and his SČP attempted to hijack the stage.
SČP attempted to take part in the 1990 elections but was barred from it by authorities. During the election campaign, Šešelj was sentenced to prison for violating public order and peace. Following his release, he filed his candidacy in the presidential election. He ran as an independent candidate. Shortly thereafter, on 23 October, he was briefly imprisoned again for attempting to recruit volunteers for the Log Revolution in Croatia. His campaign was marked by criticism of the opposition parties, particularly SPO. He also promised to bring "20 of the biggest Serbian traitors" to trial, including dissident Milovan Djilas. Political scientist Robert Thomas wrote that Šešelj's prison sentences in October 1990 helped him achieve celebrity status in the elections. Ultimately, he finished fifth in the presidential election. In the second round of the parliamentary election, he declined to join the newly-established United Opposition of Serbia coalition, instead personally endorsing Democratic Party candidates.
After the elections, the People's Radical Party (NRS) experienced internal conflict as a result of its failure to gain any representation in the National Assembly of Serbia. Tomislav Nikolić, the party's vice-president, proposed merging the party with SČP to form a new political party. Šešelj, however, faced resistance inside SČP, but with the help of Jovan Glamočanin, the merging proceeded. SČP merged with NRS on 23 February 1991 to create the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), with Šešelj as its president.

### Participation in Yugoslav Wars

After the creation of SRS, SČP was appropriated as its paramilitary unit throughout the Yugoslav Wars, during which they committed killings of civilians. It has also been defined as a private army of SRS operating in the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Also known as the Šešeljevci (English: Šešelj's men), the paramilitary was active in the Eastern Slavonia front of Croatia in March 1991. It took part in the Battle of Borovo Selo, where they killed 12 Croatian policemen. Beginning in March 1992, SČP was stationed in Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the purpose of ethnic cleansing the town. Šešelj there collaborated with the Serb Volunteer Guard (SDG) and White Eagles to raid homes and kill Muslims. In Bijeljina and Doboj, SČP cooperated with SDG in armed conflicts. This campaign marked the beginning of the Bosnian War. Besides their cooperation with other paramilitaries, Šešeljevci were also friendly with the Yugoslav People's Army. In the Eastern Slavonia front and Bosnian War, the Šešeljevci committed crimes against Croats and Muslims, including murder, torture, robbery, and sexual assault.
The Šešeljevci had 30,000 volunteers. They were noted for wearing black fur hats with Serbian cockades, or military berets with a skull or the Serbian flag. They could have also been identified by their cross-shaped ammunition belts. At different times, Šešelj both supported and condemned the paramilitary unit. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) concluded that "Šešelj exercised ideological and moral authority over the Šešeljevci sent to the front by his politico-military organisation.
On 28 April 1994, SRS announced the dissolution of SČP and the integration of its local chapters into SRS. In the announcement, Šešelj also disavowed SČP as a paramilitary force.

### Legacy

SRS, the successor of SČP, has promoted similar ideologies to SČP, including Greater Serbian ideology and ultranationalism. The party advocated for the establishment of a Serbian state that would span up to the Karlobag-Karlovac-Virovitica line, which eventually became an equivalent term to Greater Serbia. At the founding assembly, Šešelj declared that "we are prepared, though, for a bloodbath should it be necessary, but only for the sake of the Serbian lands, territories and people". The party was also sympathetic towards Milošević's regime; in return, the party was positively received in pro-government media.
Due to his role in the Yugoslav Wars, Šešelj surrendered to ICTY in 2003. His trial started in 2007, but was suspended in 2009 and continued later in 2010. The trial ended in 2013 and Šešelj was granted a provisional release in 2014 due to his worsening health, after which he returned to Serbia. He then led SRS into the 2016 Serbian parliamentary election, in which the party won 8% of the popular vote.

## Ideology and platform

SČP published its political programme in the first edition of Velika Srbija newspaper in July 1990. During its existence as a political party, SČP promoted ultranationalist rhetoric and supported the creation of Greater Serbia. According to University of Connecticut professor Predrag Dojčinović, its programme resembled those of the Nazi Party. Its political actions were oftent militant.

## Organisation

Šešelj was the president of SČP during its entire existence. In the party's statute, the Central Homeland Administration was the highest body of the party while the Homeland Congress was not convened. Its secretary was Vojin Vuletić. The party also had youth and women's wings.

### List of presidents

| # | # | President | President | Birth–Death | Term start | Term end |
| 1 | | Vojislav Šešelj | | 1954– | 18 June 1990 | 23 February 1991 |