Authorities in Milan have launched a formal investigation into allegations that Italian nationals participated in a disturbing form of war-time “human safari” during the Balkan conflict of the early 1990s.
The probe centres on claims that wealthy foreigners paid to travel to Sarajevo and shoot civilians for sport from the hills overlooking the besieged city.
Journalist and author Ezio Gavazzeni submitted a detailed 17-page dossier to the Milan public prosecutor’s office initiating the probe. The document includes testimonies, intelligence-agency leads and a report from former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karić.
Details of “human safari”
The complaint suggests that participants flew from Trieste to Belgrade and then travelled by road or helicopter to Serbian-held vantage points around Sarajevo. There they allegedly used sniper rifles to target unarmed men, women and children. The investigators say payments ranged from €80,000 to €100,000 (in today’s terms) and that higher fees applied for shooting children.
One key witness is a former Bosnian intelligence officer who claims that in 1993 he alerted Italian intelligence (then known as SISMI) about the presence of foreign “sniper tourists.” He contends that the warning triggered internal investigations.
The antiterror-unit of the Carabinieri (ROS), under the direction of Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, will work on the investigation. The charges under consideration include premeditated homicide aggravated by cruelty and base motives. The case is also being treated as a war-crimes matter. These crimes are not subject to statute of limitations in Italy.
So far no names of suspects have been officially published. The dossier mentions a Milan-based businessman who owned a cosmetic-surgery clinic, along with individuals from Turin and Trieste, as possible participants.
Bosnian officials have confirmed their willingness to cooperate. The Bosnian consul in Milan stated that his government possesses relevant documentation and is ready to share it with Italian investigators.
Analysts say the case, if pursued to prosecution, could become the first major criminal trial in Western Europe involving civilians accused of paying to commit war-time killings beyond formal combat operations.
