Serbian President Vučić Faces Legal Complaint Over Allegations of ‘Sniper Tourism‘ During Sarajevo Siege
SARAJEVO, bosnia and Herzegovina – A legal complaint has been filed in Sarajevo against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, alleging his involvement in what prosecutors describe as “sniper tourism” during the city’s brutal siege in the 1990s. The complaint, lodged by a survivor of the siege, centers on claims that Vučić, then a young nationalist politician, accompanied italian citizens to positions overlooking Sarajevo where they allegedly paid Bosnian Serb soldiers to shoot at civilians.
The allegations, resurfaced by Italian investigative journalist Carlo Bonini and reported by The Guardian, claim that wealthy Italians traveled to Bosnia during the war seeking the thrill of targeting residents of the besieged city. This progress comes amid ongoing regional tensions and scrutiny of Vučić’s past, possibly complicating diplomatic efforts and reigniting sensitivities surrounding the Bosnian War. If substantiated, the claims could lead to an international investigation and further strain relations between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the complaint and reporting by The Guardian, Italian prosecutor Alessandro Gavazzeni investigated the alleged “war tourism” network in the late 1990s.Gavazzeni stated there was “no political or religious motivations” for the Italians’ actions, describing them as “rich people who went there for fun and personal satisfaction…people who love guns who perhaps go to shooting ranges or on safari in Africa.” He alleged the Italian suspects would meet in Trieste,Italy,and travel to Belgrade before being escorted to sniper positions near Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb soldiers.
Gavazzeni characterized the practice as “an indifference towards evil,” claiming a “traffic of war tourists” existed who paid to shoot at people in Sarajevo.
Vučić has previously denied any involvement in targeting Sarajevo, dismissing such allegations as politically motivated fabrications stemming from his earlier nationalist rhetoric. In a 2021 interview with a Bosnian TV channel, he explicitly denied firing on the city, characterizing the claims as a manipulation tied to regional power dynamics.
The complaint filed in Sarajevo seeks a formal investigation into the allegations and potential prosecution. The case is highly likely to draw significant attention from international observers and could further complicate the already fraught relationship between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, nearly three decades after the end of the Bosnian War.
