Two 'people-hunters' who 'paid to shoot civilians on 1990s Sarajevo sniper trips' are investigated in Austria
Some of the hunters are alleged to have paid extra to shoot at pregnant women and children
Two people suspected of paying large sums of money to shoot people during the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s are being investigated by officials in Austria.
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The two individuals are thought to have participated in the “Sarajevo Safari” which allowed wealthy European hunters to shoot at men, women and children from Serbian sniper spots above the city.
The Austrian Justice Ministry said on Tuesday: “An investigation was opened on April 25 against an Austrian citizen and another as-yet-unidentified individual in connection with possible participation in so-called ‘sniper tours’ in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War”.
Hunters are said to have participated in tours between 1992 and 1995, allegedly organised by Serbs and Croats, which saw Bosnian Serbs surround the city and carry out a siege killing almost 14,000 people.
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This comes after a 17-page legal complaint was brought to court by Milan-based writer and journalist Ezio Gavazzeni, supported by former magistrate Guido Salvini and Benjamina Karic, mayor of Sarajevo from 2021 to 2024.
The shocking claims emerged in the 2022 documentary 'Sarajevo Safari', created by Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanic, who alleged that Italians were among people of other nationalities who were paying to travel to Sarajevo to shoot innocents.
Some hunters reportedly paid between £70,000 and £88,000 to open fire on civilians. Participants are alleged to have paid extra to kill pregnant women and children, and many celebrated their shooting sprees with late-night afterparties.
The main street leading to Sarajevo, Meša Selimović Boulevard, became so synonymous with shootings that it was known as “Sniper Alley”, but could not be avoided as it lead to Sarajevo airport.
The inquiry follows an investigation launched by Italian magistrates, who have questioned two people, including an 80-year-old former lorry driver suspected of taking part, the Times reported.
The Austrian investigation was prompted by a question asked in Parliament by Bosnian-born Alma Zadic, former Justice Minister and member of the Austrian Green Party.
She said the allegations concerned “the gravest war crimes” and “must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted".
“There can be no room for impunity,” she went on. “The idea that people may have paid money in order to deliberately shoot at civilians, even children, is almost unimaginable in its cruelty."
“Such acts represent a level of contempt for humanity that leaves one speechless. The victims and their relatives have a right to truth, justice and clarification.”
