Horrifying new testimonies are shedding light on one of the darkest and most depraved chapters of the Bosnian War: the “Sarajevo Safari.” Recent reports by The Times, based on the investigative work of Croatian journalist Domagoj Margetić, reveal that wealthy foreigners paid tens of thousands of dollars to join Serbian sniper nests and shoot trapped civilians for sport.
According to the new book “Pay and Shoot,” these “safari hunters” went beyond mere killing, engaging in sadistic competitions to see who could target and kill the women they deemed the “most beautiful” in the besieged city.
A Macabre Price List for Human Life
Margetić’s findings are based on intelligence files from a Bosnian officer, Nedžad Ugljen, who was investigating the “safari” before his assassination in 1996. The documents outline a chilling price list that foreign “tourists” paid to Serbian intermediaries to secure sniper positions on the hills overlooking Sarajevo:
- 80,000 Marks (approx. £35,000 at the time): To kill a middle-aged man or woman.
- 95,000 Marks: To kill a young woman.
- 110,000 Marks: To kill a pregnant woman.
The investigation suggests that these “death tourists” primarily originated from Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. They reportedly gathered in Trieste, Italy, or Belgrade, before being transported by military helicopter or vehicle to the front lines.
First Official Suspect Identified in Italy
For the first time in thirty years, legal action is being taken against a suspected participant. Prosecutors in Milan have officially opened an investigation into an Italian citizen in his 80s, a former truck driver from Pordenone.
- The Charges: The suspect faces charges of premeditated murder aggravated by “vile motives.”
- The Scope: Investigators are determining if he participated directly in the killings or provided logistical support for other foreign hunters.
- Status: The suspect remains free but was summoned for questioning by Milanese prosecutors in February 2026.
The Legacy of “Sniper Tourism”
The “Sarajevo Safari” first gained international attention through a 2022 documentary by Slovenian director Miran Zupanič. Witnesses in the film described seeing well-dressed foreigners with high-end, modern rifles arriving at the trenches to “hunt” human beings.
During the Siege of Sarajevo (1992–1995), which lasted 1,425 days, over 11,500 people were killed, including more than 1,600 children. Many were victims of the “Sniper Alley” terror that turned daily survival into a game for wealthy outsiders.
If proven, these investigations will confirm a unprecedented form of war crime: the commodification of human life for the amusement of global elites.
