Milan Prosecutor Launches Investigation into Alleged ’Sniper Tourism’ During Bosnian war
Milan, Italy – The Milan Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into claims that wealthy individuals participated in “human shooting tourism” during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, paying significant sums to allegedly shoot civilians in Sarajevo.The probe was prompted by a dossier submitted by Italian journalist Ezio Gavazzeni,who has been researching the allegations for decades.
The investigation centers around accusations that “safaris” were organized allowing individuals to target people with sniper rifles during the siege of Sarajevo. Gavazzeni’s 17-page dossier, reportedly including a report from former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karic, suggests at least one Italian citizen paid approximately 100,000 euros (roughly 1.9 billion Indonesian Rupiah at current exchange rates) to participate in such an event. The claims surfaced initially in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera thirty years ago, but lacked significant evidence until recently.
The renewed focus on these allegations stems from the 2022 documentary “Sarajevo Safari” by Slovenian director Miran Zupanic, which alleges involvement from individuals across multiple nations, including the US, Russia, and Italy. While the investigation in bosnia itself appears stalled, Gavazzeni’s research has spurred action in Italy.
The siege of Sarajevo, lasting nearly four years, was the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare. The city, a cultural crossroads of Islamic, Jewish, and Christian traditions, was a focal point of the Bosnian War, which followed the assassination in Sarajevo that ignited World War I and hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.
British troops who served in Sarajevo during the conflict have expressed skepticism regarding the claims. Speaking to the BBC, veterans stated they had never encountered evidence of “sniper tourism” and suggested such operations would have been difficult to conceal given the extensive checkpoint network. One soldier dismissed the accusations as an “urban myth.” Despite this, the Milan Prosecutor’s Office is proceeding with its investigation, seeking to determine the veracity of the disturbing allegations.
