Serbian president rejects involvement in “sniper tourism” during Sarajevo siege

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on November 20 firmly rejected allegations linking him to so-called “sniper safaris” during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, describing the claims as “lies” intended to depict him as a “monster” and “cold-blooded killer.”

“I have never killed anyone, never wounded anyone, nor done anything of the sort,” Vučić told reporters on the sidelines of the UK–Western Balkans regional business conference in Belgrade, Politico writes.

The accusations were raised by Croatian investigative journalist Domagoj Margetić, who said on November 18 that he had filed a formal complaint with prosecutors in Milan. In it, he alleges that Vučić either participated in or helped facilitate “sniper tourism,” in which foreign nationals purportedly paid Bosnian Serb forces for the opportunity to shoot civilians from elevated positions around the besieged city.

Margetić’s submission cites a 1993 video, purported wartime interviews, and statements from Bosnian officials as evidence that Vučić served as a “war volunteer” in Sarajevo in 1992 and 1993, allegedly as part of the New Sarajevo Chetnik Detachment of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS). He also claims Vučić spent several months at a frontline post near Sarajevo’s Jewish cemetery.

Responding specifically to the claims regarding the 1993 footage—said to show him holding a sniper rifle alongside armed men—Vučić insisted the object in question was not a weapon.

“I have never in my life held a sniper rifle. I didn’t even have the rifle you’re talking about, because that is a camera tripod,” he said.

The allegations surfaced as prosecutors in Milan opened an inquiry into suspected Italian nationals who may have taken part in the alleged “sniper safaris,” investigating possible charges of aggravated murder. The probe was initiated following a complaint by Italian journalist and writer Ezio Gavazzeni.

Investigators are examining long-standing claims that foreign visitors paid Bosnian Serb troops—operating under the command of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić, convicted of genocide in 2016—to take them to hillside positions overlooking Sarajevo, where they could allegedly fire on civilians for sport.

More than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996, many by shelling and sniper fire, during what became the longest siege in modern European history after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia. Bosnian government forces defended the city as Bosnian Serb troops maintained encirclement from surrounding hills.

“We’re talking about wealthy people, with a reputation, entrepreneurs, who during the siege of Sarajevo paid to be able to kill defenseless civilians,” Gavazzeni told La Repubblica.

The Milan investigation aims to establish whether the long-rumored “human safaris” took place and to identify any individuals who may have organized or participated in them.

By Sabina Mammadli