A Croatian investigative journalist has filed a legal complaint with Milan prosecutors against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, alleging his involvement in the so-called 'Sarajevo safari' affair. The case concerns claims that foreign snipers, including Italians, paid to shoot civilians during the 1992-1996 siege of Sarajevo.
The complaint, submitted by Domagoj Margetić, follows a Milan investigation launched last week into unidentified Italians on charges of voluntary murder aggravated by cruelty. According to prosecutors, 'sniper tourists' allegedly paid large sums to soldiers of Radovan Karadžić's army to be transported to hills around Sarajevo to shoot at residents for pleasure.
More than 10,000 people were killed by shelling and sniper fire during the siege, the longest in modern history. Snipers were particularly feared for indiscriminately targeting civilians, including children, on the streets.
The investigation originated from a complaint by writer Ezio Gavazzeni, who gathered evidence after watching the 2022 documentary 'Sarajevo Safari' by Slovenian director Miran Zupanič. Gavazzeni claimed 'many, many, many Italians' were involved, along with Germans, French, and English individuals, who paid to shoot civilians for fun without political or religious motives.
Margetić posted evidence on social media alleging that Vučić, then a young volunteer, was present at a military post in Sarajevo from which foreign citizens and Serbian ultranationalists shot civilians. Vučić has not commented on the allegations but denied in a 2021 interview ever firing on the city, calling the claims political manipulation.
