Croatian national resistance ( Croatian Hrvatski narodni odpor ), also known by the abbreviations HNS and KhNO ( Croatian HNO ) or Otpor ( Croatian Otpor ) is a Croatian anti-communist terrorist organization that was formed during the Cold War to break up Yugoslavia and restore Croatia within the puppet Independent State of Croatia . The organization was regarded by the Yugoslav government as terrorist, since the ideology of KhNO suggested the restoration of Croatia in the spirit of the aspirations of the leader Ustasha Ante Pavelic and the ideology of Mile Budak [1] . A significant part of the KhNO were the leaders of the Ustashi movement, and it was under the name "Ustashi" that they appeared in official documents [2] .
Content
Structure
The Croatian national resistance was formed in 1957 by the fugitive Vekoslav “Max” Luburic , a former general of the Croatian household and Ustash’s manager of a concentration camp of World War II in Jasenovac ( Croatia ) [3] . In 1969, the Yugoslav state security organs ( UBA ) liquidated Luburich, but the headless movement did not stop its activity. The "rebuff" existed for more than 30 years: its number did not exceed several thousand people, but it included the most famous and ardent Croatian nationalists [3] . The cells of the movement were on four continents: for example, Argentine was headed by Dinko Shakich [4] , who lived in Argentina in 1947-1956 and 1959-1998.
While the organization was led by Luburich, the Resistance maintained relations with the Nazi associations of war veterans in Germany and Spain, and was also in close relations with the veterans of the Spanish Blue Division [5] . After Luburich’s death, his successors in the organization’s leading position established criminal relations with the Cosa Nostra , the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and the Croatian mafia in San Pedro (port area of Los Angeles, USA) [6] .
Activity
Ustash emigration by the forces of the Croatian national resistance organized terrorist acts around the world, expressing its protest against the existence of Yugoslavia as such. HNO actively participated in racketeering, attempted murder, extortion, abduction of vehicles, bombing terrorism and other violent crimes [7] . The KNO was engaged in criminal activities in the United States as well: its objectives were Yugoslav travel agencies and diplomatic institutions [6] .
- In 1968, several militants of the Croatian national resistance and the Croatian revolutionary fraternity staged a terrorist act in a Belgrade cinema.
- In 1971, Yugoslav Ambassador to Sweden Vladimir Rolovich was shot dead by Ustashi Miro Barešić and Angelko Braikovic .
- In 1972, a group of terrorists from Australia , sent with the support of the Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood , tried to foment an anti-Yugoslav uprising in Krajina during the “ Croatian spring ”, but the bandits were arrested by the UBA and thrown into prison.
- In 1972, a bomb that was installed by Ustashi was found on the plane of the national airline of the SFRY "Yat".
- In 1976, the organization was recognized as a terrorist in Germany because of Ustach ties with Zvonko Busic , who with four other accomplices had organized the seizure of the American passenger plane TWA on the line Chicago-New York on 10 September of that year [8] .
- In 1982, a group of Croatian descendants were arrested in New York on charges of concealing murder, arson and extortion. One of the immigrants, Mile Markic, was recognized as a member of the Otpor [9] .
The connection of CWA with political emigration was as strong as with the criminal underground: its functioning was something in between these two types of activities. But her guides tried to distance themselves from organizing the actions of the so-called “apostates” who were engaged in hijacking aircraft or serving sentences for extortion. The KhNO adhered to a radical nationalist ideology, which was only slightly different from the Ustasha ideology [10] .
The main principle of the XNO action was the following [11] :
We consider Yugoslavism and Yugoslavia to be the largest and only evil that has led to current disasters. Thus, we consider any direct or indirect aid of Yugoslavia as a threat to the Croatian people. Our goal is clear - to destroy any Yugoslavia. With the help of Russians or Americans, communists or anti-communists - with any help from someone who wants it. Destroy dialectic speech or dynamite - but destroy to the ground, because it is this state has no right to exist.
The organization published its own magazine, Drina. [12] In 1991, the organization ceased to exist, having achieved its long-awaited goal. However, at the same time a scandal erupted - the former Otpore member became an employee of the Croatian Ministry of Defense and, using his connections, began to transport weapons to Croatia from the United States [13] , which led to the expulsion of four ethnic Croats from the Otpor from Chicago and involved in arms smuggling (including MANPADS) [13] [14] .
Notes
- ↑ Janke, Sim, 1983 , p. 113.
- ↑ Alan Riding . Paraguay Accepts Terrorist and Is Minor (December 27, 1987).
- ↑ 1 2 Hockenos, 2003 , p. 69
- ↑ Hockenos, 2003 , pp. 71-72.
- ↑ Krizman, 1986 .
- ↑ 1 2 Wolf, 1989 , p. thirty.
- ↑ 706 F.2d 42 13 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 421 UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Milan BAGARIC, Mile Markich, Ante Ljubas, Vinko Logarusic, Ranko Primorac, and Drago Sudar, Defendants-Appellants
- ↑ Hockenos, 2003 , p. 71
- ↑ 6 Croatians convicted of racketeering conspiracy (May 16, 1982). The appeal date is June 23, 2014.
- ↑ Hockenos, 2003 , p. 23.
- ↑ Bellamy, 2004 , p. 93.
- ↑ Grubisa, Damir . Yugoslavia Ad Came from Nazi Terrorists (January 14, 1989).
- ↑ 1 2 Hockenos, 2003 , pp. 88-89.
- ↑ Sremac, Danielle S. War of Words: Washington Tackles the Yugoslav Conflict. - Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. - P. 68. - ISBN 978-0-275-96609-6 .
Literature
- Henry W. Degenhardt, Alan John Day. Political dissent: an international guide to dissident, extra-parliamentary, guerrilla, and illegal political movements . - Gale Research Company, 1983. - ISBN 978-0-582-90255-8 .
- Paul Hockenos. Homeland Calling: Exile Patriotism & the Balkan Wars . - Cornell University Press, 2003. - ISBN 978-0-8014-4158-5 .
- Alex J. Bellamy. The Formation of Croatian National Identity: A Centuries-Old Dream ?. - Manchester University Press, 2004. - S. 93. - ISBN 978-0-7190-6502-6 .
- John B. Wolf. Antiterrorist Initiatives. - Plenum Press, 1989. - p. 30.
- Paul Wilkinson. Terrorism: International Dimensions, Answering the Challenge . - Institute for the Study of Conflict, 1979.
- Peter Janke, Richard Sim. Guerrilla and Terrorist Organizations: a World Directory and Bibliography. - Harvester Press, 1983. - ISBN 978-0-02-916150-0 .
- Bogdan Krizman. Ante Pavelić i ustaše. - Zagreb: Globus, 1978. - ISBN 978-86-343-0130-4 .
- Bogdan Krizman. Pavelić između Hitlera i Musolinija. - Zagreb: Globus, 1986.
- Bogdan Krizman. Pavelić u bjekstvu. - Zagreb: Globus, 1986.
- Sean K. Anderson. Historical Dictionary of Terrorism . - Scarecrow Press, Incorporated, 2009. - ISBN 978-0-8108-5764-3 .