In a major diplomatic breakthrough for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe is set to launch an official international investigation into the highly controversial “Sarajevo Safari” allegations.
The initiative, spearheaded by Sabina Ćudić, President of Naše Stranke (NS) and a BiH delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has successfully cleared all formal hurdles after securing broad, multi-national backing from lawmakers across 23 European nations.
1. The Investigation Roadmap: Key Milestones
The diplomatic push, which began as a formal motion in Strasbourg on May 13, has rapidly gained institutional momentum. The process will now transition from a political initiative into an active parliamentary inquiry.
The PACE Investigative Pipeline
[ THE INITIATIVE ] ──► MAY 13
• Sabina Ćudić formally tables the motion before the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), targeting international war crimes.
[ QUALIFIED SUPPORT ] ──► JUNE
• The proposal secures binding signatures from delegates representing 23 European
nations, successfully meeting the strict qualifying thresholds for a formal review.
[ RAPPORTEUR APPOINTMENT ] ──► SEPTEMBER 7
• PACE is scheduled to officially name an independent Rapporteur to head
the evidence-gathering phase, draft the final report, and author a binding resolution.
“This is a significant indicator that there is a broad European readiness to seriously approach establishing the facts regarding international participation in war crimes during the siege of Sarajevo.”
— Sabina Ćudić, President of Naše Stranke
2. Coalition of Support: Shifting Focus Beyond BiH
The core strength of the initiative lies in its widespread international endorsement. Because the allegations involve foreign citizens utilizing regional logisticians, the Council of Europe is treating the matter as a cross-border human rights issue rather than a localized Bosnian dispute.
European Nations Backing the Investigation
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [ THE INITIAL BACKERS ] ──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ • France, Sweden, Netherlands, Turkey, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, │ │
│ Monaco, Ukraine, Romania, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Croatia. │
│ │ │
│ [ THE NEW COALITION MEMBERS ] ────────────────────────────────────┤ │
│ • United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Albania, │ │
│ Greece, North Macedonia, Andorra, and Denmark. │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
3. What is the “Sarajevo Safari”?
The investigation stems from highly disturbing allegations that resurfaced globally following a 2022 documentary film by Slovenian director Miran Zupanič. The term refers to an alleged elite war-tourism syndicate operating during the 1,425-day siege of Sarajevo (1992–1996).
| Element of Allegation | Operational Details | Present Legal Status |
| The Activity | Wealthy foreign nationals allegedly paid massive cash fees to be smuggled onto frontline positions held by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) for the sole purpose of shooting at trapped civilians as entertainment. | Active Case Files. Open criminal investigations are ongoing via the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH (since 2022) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Milan, Italy (since late 2025). |
| The Logistics | Witnesses claim the “tourists” arrived via Belgrade, using Yugoslav People’s Army transport or helicopters to reach firing spots, primarily in the Serb-controlled neighborhood of Grbavica. | Cross-Border Targets. The upcoming Council of Europe probe aims to force judicial cooperation from intelligence networks in both Belgrade and western European capitals. |
4. Universal Accountability vs. Political Retaliation
Aware of the immense regional sensitivity surrounding the wartime past, Ćudić explicitly framed the upcoming Strasbourg inquiry as a strict search for objective judicial facts rather than a tool for geopolitical finger-pointing.
The investigation will zero in on the actions of specific foreign perpetrators—including reported suspects from Italy, Belgium, France, and Canada—ensuring that the European legal space leaves no room for impunity, regardless of citizenship or the decades that have passed since the atrocities occurred.
