Wealthy Italians Paid Up To ₹1 Crore To Go To Bosnia To Kill Civilians During 90s War: Report

Last Updated:November 13, 2025, 11:57 IST

Prosecutors investigate claims of Italian nationals paying for “sniper tourism” in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.

The Bosnian war, widely considered Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II, began in 1992. (File photo)

Prosecutors in Milan opened a criminal investigation into allegations that wealthy Italian nationals paid large sums of money to travel to Bosnia during the 1992–1995 siege of Sarajevo to deliberately kill civilians for sport, according to reports in The Guardian and the BBC. Investigators are examining claims of what has been described as “sniper tourism"- an alleged practice in which Italian visitors were transported by Bosnian Serb forces to the hills overlooking Sarajevo, handed rifles and allowed to shoot at unarmed civilians, including women and children, during the height of the conflict. Some reportedly paid up to €100,000 (approx. ₹1 crore).

The Bosnian war, widely considered Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II, began in 1992 after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence. Bosnian Serb forces, led by Radovan Karadžić, later convicted of genocide, surrounded Sarajevo in what became one of the longest and deadliest sieges in modern history.

By the war’s end in 1995, more than 100,000 people had been killed and over 2.2 million displaced. The conflict also saw the Srebrenica massacre, where more than 8,000 Muslim Bosniak men and boys were murdered- the only act in Europe to be recognised as genocide since the Holocaust.

Investigators Examining Testimony, Payment Records

According to investigators, Bosnian Serb fighters allegedly facilitated the killings by escorting the “sniper tourists" to strategic vantage points above Sarajevo. Different prices were allegedly charged depending on whether the target was a man, woman or child, the BBC reported.

Milan prosecutors are now working to identify the Italian citizens involved. If confirmed, they could face charges of voluntary murder aggravated by cruelty and abject motives under Italian law.

The probe was launched after Italian investigative journalist Ezio Gavazzeni submitted a complaint supported by testimony from a former Bosnian Serb military officer. Ezio Gavazzeni, who first encountered reports of “sniper tourism" in the 1990s Italian press, revisited the topic after viewing the 2022 documentary Sarajevo Safari by Slovenian director Miran Zupanič. The film alleged that not only Italians but individuals from the US, France, Germany and Russia also took part.

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