Italian prosecutors have initiated an investigation into claims that several Italian nationals engaged in paid trips to Bosnia during the 1992-95 genocide to join the Serb army and target civilians, primarily Muslims, trapped in Sarajevo.
The inquiry has been launched by the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office, focusing on individuals referred to by Italian media as “weekend snipers.” These individuals allegedly paid substantial sums to participate in shooting excursions amidst the Siege of Sarajevo.
The investigation follows a formal complaint filed by journalist and author Ezio Gavazzeni. Similar allegations had emerged previously but gained renewed attention after a legal case initiated by Benjamina Karic, a former mayor of Sarajevo, against “persons unknown.”
Instances of such crimes perpetrated by affluent foreigners were noted during the genocide trials. In a 2007 presentation to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, former US Marine John Jordan testified that “tourist shooters” had traveled to Sarajevo. He remarked on the apparent unfamiliarity of some shooters with the terrain, suggesting they were indeed tourists.
In 2022, the documentary Sarajevo Safari, directed by Bosnian filmmaker Miran Zupanic, examined the involvement of wealthy foreigners, including individuals from the United States and Russia. Interviewees included a former Serb soldier and a contractor who alleged that groups of Westerners shot at the civilian populace from hilltops surrounding Sarajevo. Serbian war veterans have denied these claims.
Reports indicate that the shooters reportedly left from Trieste, Italy, on Friday evenings, spent the weekends in Sarajevo with Serb forces, and returned shortly thereafter. Allegedly, they were flown by the Yugoslav/Serbian airline Aviogenex to the hills around Sarajevo, where they would pay Bosnian-Serb militias to conduct the shootings.
Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis has formally opened the case on charges of aggravated intentional homicide, characterized by cruelty and malicious intent, and the investigation presently targets unidentified suspects. Authorities hope to identify individuals involved in the alleged “safaris,” in addition to five men already named in Gavazzeni’s lawsuit.
According to La Repubblica, these so-called tourists were reported to have paid up to €100,000 (approximately $116,000, adjusted for inflation) to partake in these hunting trips in Sarajevo. Gavazzeni alleges that participants were provided with a price list detailing the costs associated with different types of civilian targets, with children reportedly commanding the highest prices, followed by men, women, and the elderly, who could be killed without charge.
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