Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has reacted sharply to Prishtina Prime Minister Albin Kurti following Kurti’s call for the establishment of a special international court to investigate the so-called “Sarajevo Safari” crimes committed during the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s.
Kurti raised the issue at the second international scientific conference organized by the Prishtina War Crimes Institute, citing credible reports that individuals paid to shoot Bosnian civilians as part of “sniper tourism”, a practice widely recognized as a war crime.
Rather than address the call for an independent investigation, Vučić’s response shifted focus onto Prishtina, linking the matter to other topics such as the disputed “Yellow House” narrative and territorial claims.
Kurti emphasized that the so-called “Yellow House” in Albania was never a site of organ trafficking by KLA members and framed it as part of Serbia’s long-running hybrid narrative, initiated by Russian MP Konstantin Kosachev shortly after Prishtina’s declaration of independence in 2008.
Observers note that Vučić’s approach relativizes war crimes and redirects attention from historical accountability to contemporary political disputes, portraying Prishtina’s initiative as politically motivated while asserting that Serbia has always respected international law.
Eyewitness Accounts Link Vučić to “Sarajevo Safari”
Investigative journalist Domatoj Margetić has published extensive documentation linking Vučić to the “Sarajevo Safari” killings.
In an interview with Aleksandar Liçanin, a direct witness to the events, he claimed that civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, were deliberately targeted by snipers. Liçanin named Slavoj Aleksić, Vojislav Šešelj, and Aleksandar Vučić as involved in organizing these attacks.
“People came from different countries and were paid to shoot civilians,” Liçanin said, adding that Vučić and Šešelj organized foreign visitors to shoot from Jewish cemeteries in Sarajevo. Liçanin also addressed Vučić’s denials, noting that many are hesitant to speak out due to fear for their safety and that of their families.
Documentary Evidence of Vučić’s Involvement
Margetić published a document from 1992, titled “Chetnik Unit of Novo Sarajevo”, indicating that special sniper positions in Novo Sarajevo were strictly controlled. Only three people—Veljko Papić, Aleksandar Vučić, and Zlatko Novković—had authorization to access these points, which were used to guide foreign “guests” visiting the unit-controlled territory.
The document explicitly instructed that all activities of these guests were to be recorded and reported to the N.Ç.O. command and the Srpska Radical Party (SRS), providing direct evidence of Vučić’s links to Chetnik structures during the Bosnian war while affiliated with the SRS.
Implications for Transitional Justice
Kurti’s call for a special international court has received support from academics and civil society, who emphasize the need for independent investigations to establish accountability for war crimes and support regional reconciliation.
Vučić’s attempts to shift the narrative onto Prishtina are seen as part of a broader political strategy to delegitimize discussions of war crimes and evade historical responsibility.
