Shocking new allegations have come to light regarding a wealthy foreigner who allegedly paid to shoot civilians during the 1992-1995 siege of Sarajevo.
The allegations, which had long circulated in wartime reports, are now under review as Italian judges investigate suspected participants from Italy.
Eyewitness accounts paint a sad picture.
Aleksandar Licanin, 63, a former volunteer with a Bosnian Serb tank unit, told The Times that he saw well-dressed foreigners taking up sniper positions in Sarajevo's Jewish cemetery.
According to Licanin, these visitors targeted women, children and the elderly, paying up to over 100 euros for this "privilege", with higher fees reportedly applied to shooting children or pregnant women.
After the killings, Licanin said the foreigners partied until the early hours of the morning, eating roasted pork and lamb and drinking alcohol.
"They were celebrating killing people. I can't imagine how you can live with killing a child," he declared.
The alleged operation was coordinated by Slavko Aleksić, head of the Novosarajevo Chetnik Detachment.
Licanin claims that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, then a young journalist, acted as a translator for these foreign snipers - a claim that Vučić has denied.
Croatian investigative journalist Domagoj Margetić has presented documents that allegedly show Vučić's involvement.
The testimony from former officials adds weight to Licanin's testimony.
Zlatko Miletic, the former chief of Sarajevo police, recalled a Romanian sniper who killed more than ten people and declared that foreign snipers were "deeply dug in and difficult to neutralize."
Former Bosnian intelligence officer Edin Subasic also reported meeting five Italian snipers, adding that Italian intelligence reportedly intervened to stop the visits in early 1994.
The historical context underscores the scale of the alleged crimes.
Over 11,500 civilians were killed during the four-year siege of Sarajevo, and claims of "sniper tourism" or "Sarajevo Safari" have long been circulating, but have been largely ignored until now.
Witnesses report that shootings often increased on weekends, coinciding with visits by foreigners from across Europe and even North America.
While investigations are ongoing, disturbing allegations highlight the exploitation of a besieged city.
Aleksandar Licanin, who has lived with the trauma of the war ever since, said he hopes the Italian investigation will finally reveal the truth about the human "safari" in Sarajevo. /Telegraph/
