Italian Prosecutors Launch Investigation into 'Civilian Hunting Tourism' During Bosnian War

On November 11 (local time), the British daily The Guardian reported that Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation into allegations that wealthy individuals from Italy and other Western countries paid large sums of money to shoot and kill civilians during the Siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War.

According to the report, more than 10,000 people were killed by constant shelling and sniper fire during the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from 1992 to 1996 after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia. It is alleged that so-called "hunting tourists" from Italy and several other Western countries paid Bosnian Serb soldiers for the opportunity to shoot at Sarajevo citizens.

The investigation began following a complaint filed by Ezio Gabazzini, a writer residing in Milan, Italy, who collected related information. Gabazzini first learned of these allegations through Italian media reports in the 1990s, and after watching the 2022 documentary "Sarajevo Safari," he began a full-scale investigation.

Gabazzini commented, "I estimate that a very large number of Italians were involved," adding, "Additionally, people from several Western countries, including Germans, Britons, and French, paid large sums of money to shoot at civilians." He further explained that these hunting tourists "had no political or religious motives," and that "they were wealthy individuals who went for fun and personal satisfaction, just like people who go to shooting ranges or African safaris."