‘Sniper tourists’: Wealthy clients paid £70,000 to hunt civilians in twisted ‘human safaris’. Only after 30 years, a probe begins

The siege of Sarajevo was already one of the darkest chapters in 1990s Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now, prosecutors say some rich foreigners allegedly treated it like a “human safari,” paying tens of thousands of pounds to become Sniper tourists.

Italian prosecutors in Milan have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that wealthy foreigners killed innocent civilians during the 1992–1996 siege of Sarajevo. These “tourists” paid Bosnian Serb forces the modern-day equivalent of roughly £70,000–£85,000 for weekend trips to allegedly shoot civilians. The amount sometimes reached $115,000. (via The Independent).

The allegations surfaced from documents filed “against persons unknown” by former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karić and Milan writer Ezio Gavazzeni (via The Guardian). They allege that far-right extremists and gun enthusiasts from Italy, the US, Russia, and other countries took part in these shootings.

How did the shootings happen?

These people presumably entered Bosnia via Trieste, where Serb militias met them. They were loyal to the former president of Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadžić. They then arranged access to sniper positions in the hills above the city, turning the killings of innocents into a bloody game. Yet, the most chilling detail is the alleged price list.

La Repubblica reports claims that the prices varied by target. Children were the most expensive, followed by uniformed men, women, and, lastly, elderly civilians, who were allegedly “free.” These stories were first brought into a broader view in a 2022 documentary titled Sarajevo Safari.

Sarajevo’s history and data

The officer described a secret operation to move clients from Belgrade to Pale and then on to sniper nests above the city. Though Serbian veterans have denied the allegations, Italian investigators say the material they’ve received suffices to launch a probe. It could bring possible charges of voluntary homicide aggravated by cruelty and vile motives.

To understand the horror of the revelation, Sarajevo’s history must be read. The city spent nearly four years encircled, in distress. Its residents we constantly seen running across intersections marked with signs reading “Pazi – Snajper!” The message translates to “Watch out – sniper!” It was common along the stretch that became known as Sniper Alley.

According to wartime data, snipers there wounded over 1,000 people and killed 225, including 60 children (via Minnesota Public Radio). Those killings have long been treated as war crimes carried out by regular forces. But the new allegation suggests that soldiers weren’t behind some killings. They were done by paying customers instead.

Italian probe into ‘Sniper Tourists’

Italian prosecutors are working with specialist Carabinieri units that normally handle terrorism and organised crime. They expect to start questioning named suspects soon. In parallel, U.S. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has announced an effort to identify any American “sniper tourists.” She announced that anyone who paid to kill civilians, including children, should face prosecution (via NY Post).

Estimates suggest that as many as 100 individuals may have taken part in these sick games. But as soon as the struggle was over, they quietly returned to ordinary lives. For now, these remain allegations. But they’re supported by overlapping witness accounts, a documentary that forced open old archives, and a city whose trauma is still mapped onto its streets.