Italian prosecutor Alessandro Gobi has ordered an investigation into possible "sniper tourism" during the siege of Sarajevo, after testimony that individuals were paid to shoot civilians in the city
The Prosecutor's Office in Milan opened investigation on allegations that during the siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996) foreign citizens paid members of the Bosnian Serb army to enable them to sniper they shoot at the civilian population in the city. It is about a phenomenon that the Italian media calls "sniper tourism", and the case was initiated after the report of the Italian writer and publicist Ezio Gavaceni.
According to information transmitted by the British The Guardian, Milan prosecutor Alessandro Gobi ordered a preliminary investigation to determine whether there were Italian citizens who participated in such crimes during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If the charges are confirmed, prosecutors could prosecute them for murder with "cruel motives" under Italy's criminal code.
Allegations of a "war safari" date back to the 1990s, but have never been legally investigated. According to the statements collected in Gavaceni's research, wealthier foreign visitors allegedly, with the help of Bosnian Serb officers, went to positions above Sarajevo in order to observe and target civilians in the city through the sights of weapons.
Associations of war veterans on the Serbian side reject the possibility that such a thing was organized, calling the accusations "heinous slander" and "propaganda". However, Italian investigators say they will examine testimony and documentation to determine whether there are elements to initiate international proceedings.
During the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted 1.425 days, more than 10.000 people were killed, among them about 1.600 children, according to the Guardian text.
Sniper fire and shelling were everyday, and in certain periods the metropolis was completely cut off from the rest of the world.
Although many commanders of the Republika Srpska Army have already been convicted before the Hague Tribunal, the new investigation could open up hitherto unexplored aspects of war crimes — including the possible role of foreigners.
Italian media reports that the investigation could last for months, and Prosecutor Gobi announced that he will also contact the judicial authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to get access to local archives and testimonies of survivors.
If the allegations prove to be true, "sniper tourism" could become one of the darkest symbols not only of the siege of Sarajevo, but of the very depravity of war in the former Yugoslavia.
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