Expulsions in Hrtkovci
Encyclopedia
Following the beginning of the Yugoslav wars
, members of Serbian Radical Party
and Serbian Chetnik Movement conducted a campaign of intimidation of Croats of Serbia
in Vojvodina
, Serbia
, through hate speech
and threats. These acts forced a part of the local Croat population to leave the area in 1992. Most of them were resettled in Croatia
. The affected locations included Hrtkovci
, Nikinci
, Novi Slankamen
, Ruma
, Šid
, and other places bordering Croatia. According to some estimates, around 10,000 Croats left Vojvodina in 1992.
In 1991, Hrtkovci
was an ethnically mixed village with Croatian plurality (40.24%), located roughly 40 miles west of Belgrade. Vojislav Šešelj
, the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, made numerous public threats to Croats in 1992. Radicals replaced all Latin signs with Cyrillic ones and even renamed Hrtkovci to "Srbislavci" - 'place of Serbs' - though only for a short amount of time. Šešelj personally visited Hrtkovci in May 1992 and gave an inflammatory speech by publicly reading out a list of 17 Croat "traitors" who must leave the village. Incoming Serb refugees labeled Croats as "fascists".
Following the threats, one part of local Croats rushed to Croatia to see the houses which were offered to them in the planned population transfer
. One Croat was even murdered by the radicals. Šešelj's party even crafted a slogan for their campaign: "All Croats out of Hrtkovci". In 1991, Hrtkovci had 2,684 residents, 40.24% were Croats, 20.49% Serbs, 19.19% Hungarians, and 16.58% Yugoslavs. By the end of 1992, 75% of its residents were Serbs.
The number of Croats who left from the village of Hrtkovci was 722. Their empty homes were settled by Serb refugees from Croatia and Bosnia. Likewise, some Serbs tried to protect their Croatian neighbors. After the events, Yugoslav authorities arrested five radicals who were responsible for harassment of Croats.
was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
for the expulsion. In its indictment, the ICTY gave a list of 722 people who left Hrtkovci.
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, members of Serbian Radical Party
Serbian Radical Party
The Serbian Radical Party is a far-right Serbian nationalist political party in Serbia, founded in 1991. Currently the second-largest party in the Serbian National Assembly, it has branches in three of the nations that currently border Serbia – all former federal republics of Yugoslavia...
and Serbian Chetnik Movement conducted a campaign of intimidation of Croats of Serbia
Croats of Serbia
Croats of Serbia or Serbian Croats are the recognized Croat national minority in Serbia. They were recognized as national minority in 2005. According to the 2002 census, there were 70,602 Croats in Serbia or 0.94% of the population...
in Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, through hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
and threats. These acts forced a part of the local Croat population to leave the area in 1992. Most of them were resettled in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. The affected locations included Hrtkovci
Hrtkovci
Hrtkovci is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Ruma municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 3,428 people...
, Nikinci
Nikinci
Nikinci is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Ruma municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 2,216 people .-History:...
, Novi Slankamen
Novi Slankamen
Novi Slankamen is a village in Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Inđija, Syrmia District, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
, Ruma
Ruma
Ruma is a town and municipality located in Vojvodina, Serbia at . In 2002 the town had a total population of 34,229, while Ruma municipality had a population of 60,006.-History:...
, Šid
Šid
Šid is a town and municipality in the Srem District of Vojvodina, Serbia. Šid town has a population of 16,301, and Šid municipality 38,921.-Name:...
, and other places bordering Croatia. According to some estimates, around 10,000 Croats left Vojvodina in 1992.
In 1991, Hrtkovci
Hrtkovci
Hrtkovci is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Ruma municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 3,428 people...
was an ethnically mixed village with Croatian plurality (40.24%), located roughly 40 miles west of Belgrade. Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000...
, the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, made numerous public threats to Croats in 1992. Radicals replaced all Latin signs with Cyrillic ones and even renamed Hrtkovci to "Srbislavci" - 'place of Serbs' - though only for a short amount of time. Šešelj personally visited Hrtkovci in May 1992 and gave an inflammatory speech by publicly reading out a list of 17 Croat "traitors" who must leave the village. Incoming Serb refugees labeled Croats as "fascists".
Following the threats, one part of local Croats rushed to Croatia to see the houses which were offered to them in the planned population transfer
Population transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
. One Croat was even murdered by the radicals. Šešelj's party even crafted a slogan for their campaign: "All Croats out of Hrtkovci". In 1991, Hrtkovci had 2,684 residents, 40.24% were Croats, 20.49% Serbs, 19.19% Hungarians, and 16.58% Yugoslavs. By the end of 1992, 75% of its residents were Serbs.
The number of Croats who left from the village of Hrtkovci was 722. Their empty homes were settled by Serb refugees from Croatia and Bosnia. Likewise, some Serbs tried to protect their Croatian neighbors. After the events, Yugoslav authorities arrested five radicals who were responsible for harassment of Croats.
Legal proceedings
Vojislav ŠešeljVojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000...
was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
for the expulsion. In its indictment, the ICTY gave a list of 722 people who left Hrtkovci.