Italian media reported this week that government prosecutors in Milan have begun investigating a list of Italians accused of paying for the opportunity to take part as “weekend snipers” in the siege of Sarajevo.
According to the Italian daily, according to the allegations, wealthy foreigners would pay Serbian forces up to €100,000 ($116,000) to shoot civilians “for fun.” La Repubblica wrote. The investigation is led by Alessandro Gobbis and aims to identify the Italians involved in the murder.
He is suspected of “voluntary manslaughter motivated by cruel and despicable motives” – a crime that has no statute of limitations and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
La Repubblica Reported witnesses have described wealthy Western “war tourists” who would pay a premium to target children.
This is the second investigation into the matter, after Benjamina Karić, then mayor of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022, filed criminal charges against “unknown persons” for their role in firing on the population of Sarajev.
Eyewitness accounts of ‘sniper tourists’ shooting for ‘personal satisfaction’
Charges filed in Milan allege that groups of Italians and other citizens would pay Serb forces linked to former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to arrange weekend excursions into the hills surrounding Sarajevo, where they would pose as “sniper tourists” and shoot at the population below.
The claims are based on witness statements collected by journalist and author Ezio Gavazeni, whose legal complaint sparked the current investigation earlier this year.
As quoted by Gavazeni, “There was no political or religious motivation.” Guardian“They were rich people who went there for entertainment and personal gratification, We’re talking about people who like guns, who maybe go to shooting ranges or on safari in Africa,”
Serbian war veterans have rejected claims of this practice, with some dismissing it as an “urban myth”.
Karadzic was found guilty in 2016 of war crimes, genocide and other crimes against humanity for his role in the Bosnian War.
The case became known as the ‘Sarajevo Safari’
A 2022 documentary titled “Sarajevo Safari” clarified these allegations and stated that the individuals involved were not only from Italy, but also from Spain, France, Canada, the United States, and Russia.
Should this be true, the investigation could soon spread across Europe.
On Thursday, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s public prosecutor’s office confirmed this to regional media outlets. N1That the investigation was ongoing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The case is active, and a prosecutorial decision has not yet been made,” the office reportedly said.
The siege of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, took place during the 1992–95 internecine Bosnian War and resulted in the loss of an estimated 11,540 lives.
Many were killed by Serb artillery deployed in the surrounding hills. Sniper fire was such a common element of daily life under the siege, that one main boulevard even bore the nickname “Sniper Alley” for the increased danger in traveling along it.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico