Tourists 'paid £70,000 to shoot innocent people in hunting trips during Bosnian War'
An investigation has been launched into claims Italian tourists paid as much as £70,000 to shoot innocent people on ‘hunting trips’ during the Bosnian war.
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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.
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.
The 'hunters' could also pay more to target children.
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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.
The allegations came to light in the 2022 documentary 'Sarajevo Safari' by Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanic who claimed Italians were among people of other nationalities who were paying to travel to Sarajevo to shoot innocents.
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.