Sick reason 'sniper tourists' allegedly paid more to shoot children on 'human safaris'

Shocking allegations coming out of Italy suggest that tourists used to pay around £70,000 to shoot down civilians with sniper rifles during the 1992-1996 Siege of Sarajevo.

The Public Prosecutor's Office in Milan have claimed that some Italians, as well as other foreigners, would travel to Sarajevo throughout the Bosnian war with the sole purpose of killing already helpless civilians.

In that four-year period, Bosnian Serb forces took over the city and trapped around 300,000 people inside, leading to the deaths of around 11,000 civilians and more than 1,600 children. Citizens were in a constant line of fire and were unable to obtain essentials like food, water and electricity.

The new investigation claims the army gave foreign tourists access to safe spaces in hill areas where they allegedly shot at unarmed civilians. Some reports suggest that the hundred or so participants would be paid more for shooting children.

The 'human safari' investigation

More than 11,000 civilians died during the 1992-1996 Siege of Sarajevo (Jon Jones/Sygma via Getty Images)

Italian activist Adriano Sofri was in Sarajevo during the war and has alleged that the crimes were 'universally known' in a recent article.

“In Grbavica, where the Chetnik snipers [ultranationalist Serbian militia] and the international hunting participation do not hide — on the contrary, they are flaunted on [Radovan] Karadžić’s television — even when the target is children (smaller target, greater achievement for the shooter), there is also a Greek group and the remarkable case of a Japanese volunteer,” Sofri penned.

Lawyer Nicola Brigida told El País that they have submitted 'evidence that warrants further investigation' to the courts and believes that 'it can lead to the identification of at least some of those responsible for these horrendous crimes'.

Who were the Italian 'sniper tourists'?

'Sniper tourists' allegedly shot Sarajevo civilians on 'human safaris' (GEORGES GOBET/AFP via Getty Images)

Brigida speculates that some of the suspects are 'evil people, perhaps also ideologically motivated, passionate about weapons, who went to shooting ranges'.

“This story has surprised me to a certain extent: after dealing with things like the death flights [in Argentina], nothing surprises me anymore,” she added.

“Evil people, perhaps also ideologically motivated, passionate about weapons, who went to shooting ranges.”

John Jordan, an ex US Marine, testified to the International Criminal Tribunal that 'tourist shooters' came to Sarajevo 'to take pot shots at civilians for their own gratification'.

He recalled one man who arrived with a hunting rifle 'more suited to wild boar than to urban combat', and handled it 'like a novice'.

Criticism of the investigation

Many children died in the war (Derek Hudson/Getty Images)

The investigation has been met with a divided response, as critics say that it would be very difficult to back up crimes that may or may not have been committed so long ago.

Tim Judah, a British journalist and Balkans specialist, was in the area around the time of the war and 'didn't hear about it'.

“I’m not saying it didn’t happen. It is possible that there were people willing to pay to do this. But I don’t think the numbers would have been very large,” he told The Telegraph.