‘Sniper tourists’ allegedly paid £70,000 to shoot civilians in ‘human safaris’

Italian prosecutors are investigating alleged cases of 'sniper tourists' who are said to have paid tens of thousands to shoot civilians 'for fun'.

The harrowing claims have been made by prosecutors in Milan after journalist Ezio Gavazzeni filed a complaint which claimed that wealthy individuals took advantage of the civil war in Bosnia and shot civilians in the Balkan nation's capital, Sarajevo, while it was under siege.

According to details released to Italian media, the case is investigating claims that Italian citizens were part of these groups who were taken to the mountains outside of Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb militias.

Fees would allegedly vary depending on whether a tourist shot men, women or children, however, these 'human hunters' are said to have paid as much as £70,000 ($90,000) for the trip.

The war lasted nearly four years and killed over 100,000 (GEORGES GOBET/AFP via Getty Images)

What happened in Sarajevo during the 1990s?

Following the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992, the nations of Croatia, Yugoslavia (later Serbia and Montenegro), Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia were formed.

However, the collapse would lead to numerous armed conflicts, particularly in the multi-ethnic nation of Bosnia (full name Bosnia and Herzegovina). The Bosnian war would last between 1992 and 1995 as Bosnian Serbs fought against Bosnian Croats and Muslim Bosniaks on primarily ethnic and religious grounds.

The conflict would see numerous atrocities, including mass rape and ethnic cleansing, with notable events being the siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

Figures from the United States Holocaust Museum estimate that around 100,000 died during the conflict.

What are the latest developments?

The latest developments involve the capital city, where over 11,000 people died during a four-year siege.

Sarajevo's main boulevard, dubbed 'Sniper Alley', became one of the bloodiest places during the siege, as Serbian snipers would shoot at the street from their posts.

Graffiti written on the walls of Sarajevo's 'Sniper Alley' (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the investigation led by Gavazzeni, 'many, many, many Italians' are believed to have travelled from the Italian city of Trieste to Sarajevo as well as 'Germans, French, English' nationals.

"People from all western countries who paid large sums of money to be taken there to shoot civilians," Gavazzeni said of the case (via The Guardian).

"There were no political or religious motivations. They were rich people who went there for fun and personal satisfaction. We are talking about people who love guns who perhaps go to shooting ranges or on safari in Africa," he added.

Gavazenni claimed that he'd also identified several Italian nationals who allegedly travelled to Sarajevo during this period and are set to be questioned by prosecutors.

They face charges of voluntary murder.

"There was a traffic of war tourists who went to there to shoot people. I call it an indifference towards evil," Gavazenni added.