Key witness in Sarajevo ‘human safari’ investigation dies in mysterious circumstances
Lawyers have said the 69-year-old has 'very conveniently died' before the investigation could fully look into the grades.
A key witness at the centre of a Bosnian ‘human safari’ probe has died in mysterious circumstances after an investigation was launched into alleged 'hunting trips'.
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The investigation was launched by authorities after claims resurfaced, with suggestions that Italian tourists paid as much as £70,000 to shoot innocent people on ‘hunting trips’ during the Bosnian war.
Foreign tourists are accused of travelling to Sarajevo during the 1990s during the siege of the city where they participated in the massacre of residents for their own pleasure.
Now, Slavko Aleksic, 69, the star witness in the investigation who allegedly knew details of snipers travelling to Bosnia during the 1990s, has been found dead in troubling circumstances.
The former militia leader, who commanded sniper positions overlooking Sarajevo, died in Trebinje, Bosnia, the government news agency reported.
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The Bosnian found himself at the centre of an investigation after the claims emerged in the 2022 documentary 'Sarajevo Safari' by Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanic.
In it, he claimed that Italians were among a group of internationals who paid to travel to Sarajevo to shoot innocent locals - with 'hunters' paying more to target children.
“He could have said who did the shooting and who organised it. He would have been a crucial witness,” said Serbian lawyer Cedomir Stojkovic.
It comes as Croatian investigative journalist, Domagoj Margetic, added: “In November, Aleksic was apparently in good health — and now he has suddenly, and very conveniently, died.”
According to a case opened by prosecutors in Milan, people flew for weekend breaks from Trieste to Belgrade on the Serbian airline Aviogenex where they acted as ‘snipers’ paying between £70,000 and £88,000 to open fire on civilians.
Last month, it was alleged that Aleksandar Vucic, 55, the current Serbian president who has served since 2017, was involved in the organising of these so-called 'safaris'.
The accusation has been strongly denied by Vucic’s spokeswoman, who insisted that he was simply working as a journalist in the region at the time of the alleged attrocities.
Between 1992 and 1996, more than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo by shelling and sniper fire in the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.
A 17-page legal complaint has been brought to court by Milan-based writer and journalist Ezio Gavazzeni, with the support of former magistrate Guido Salvini and Benjamina Karic, mayor of Sarajevo from 2021 to 2024.
People were allegedly transported to the hills surrounding Sarajevo to take aim at passers-by.
According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, an investigation was shelved by Bosnian officials at the time due to the difficulties surrounding properly investigating in the war-torn country.
Mr Gavazzeni said he fears there could be as many as 100 tourists who took part.
The main street running into Sarajevo, Meša Selimović Boulevard, was nicknamed “Sniper Alley” because it became extremely dangerous but could not be avoided as it was the way to Sarajevo airport.
Trams and buses had their windows shot out and all around there were sniper warning signs.
The Bosnian consul in Milan, Dag Dumrukcic, told la Repubblica that Italy had the 'full cooperation' of his country’s government.
“We are eager to uncover the truth about such a cruel matter and settle accounts with the past. I am aware of some information that I will contribute to the investigation,” he said.