There was a price list of “safari in Sarajevo” when, during the siege, weapons enthusiasts were offered to attack the defenseless population. An eyewitness confirmed this to Panorama. Here is his story exclusively.
When I heard the first news on TV about Sarajevo snipers I was immediately reminded of an episode from 30 years agohe tells Panorama, Roberto Ruzzier. «At the time of the siege of the city I was part of a group soft air born in the Julian capital”, explains the Trieste native who today has 72 years old. War simulations with Fake pellet gunswhich have caught on with national championships. It was exploding on the doorstep of the house Yugoslavia.
«We were at the dawn of Internet and a couple of the group started messing around”, recalls Ruzzier. «One of the two, who we called Rollobut I don’t remember the surname, he discovered that there was a “offer” to go to Sarajevo to shoot like snipers“. In the package it was specified that a sniper rifle and some shots, three if I remember correctly, for an exorbitant price of one couple of million lire».
Reporting to the Police Headquarters
Ruzzier explains to Panorama that «we talked about it in the groupdeciding to go and tell everything in Preccint». It had to be between the 1993 and 1995. There Digos confirms «that there is a trace» of the report, but one was never reached news of crime. The file probably went to pulpedas per normal procedure after so many years.
Today that story is relevant again. The October 15th The pm of the Milan Prosecutor’s Office, Alessandro Gobbigave mandate to Special operations group of the police to investigate the “safari“in Sarajevo. The hypothesis of a crime is very serious: aggravated multiple homicide from base motives and cruelty.
The “death tourists”
In the January statement by the Milanese writer Ezio Gavazzeni we also talk about Italian death tourists. Panorama rebuilt between Bosnia, Slovenia and Italy this vile story with lights, shadows and Balkan political implications.
The subject of the complaint speaks clearly: «During thesiege of Sarajevo rich foreigners paid for (…) shoot people (…) during the war of 1992-96 (….). In a testimony it is reported that among these there were of Italians: a man of Turinone of Milan and the last of Trieste».
The case exploded in the media around the world and Gavazzeni declared to Panorama: «I’m in press blackoutbut the news leak concerns the 15 percent of what we found.”
Service information
Michael Giffoni he was the deputy head of the special diplomatic delegation in Sarajevowhich opened its doors in April 1994in full siege, under the constant fire of the snipers and the grenades which fell from the Serbian positions on the hills and from the neighborhood of Grbavica.
«The rumors about “safari“were already there before our arrival in the Sarajevo pit. To the officials of the Earthquakes one arrivedBosnian intelligence informationwhich was about Italians among paid snipers», says Giffoni.
The testimony of Bosnian intelligence
Panorama contacted Edin Subašic, 62 years oldone of the witnesses indicated in Gavazzeni’s complaint, who was during the war military intelligence officer of 2nd body of the Bosnian army. «At the end of November 1993 I was assigned by the general Mustafa Hajrulahovic to evaluate information from interrogations of captured enemy combatants.”
A Serbian volunteer from 20 yearstaken prisoner near Sarajevo, «confirms the presence of foreigners on the battlefield». Subašic recalls that the young man «describes five Italians between volunteers and mercenaries a Grbavica. Rich men who paid to shoot Muslims. One was a hunter from Milan who considered the journey a hobby».
According to the Bosnians they started fromItaly by plane, they landed in Hungary and continued by land towards BelgradeThen Pale. «There was a macabre price list in German brands with rates for each target: adults, women, childrenpregnant women or soldiers. THE higher prices were for children».
The role of Trieste
Subašic reports to General Hajrulahovic, said “Talijan”which informs the Earthquakes. “We have everything blocked and there will be no more safaris,” he recalls. «Travel had been stopped in 2-3 months via the monitoring in Trieste».
The Julian capital was indicated, together with Vienna and to a location in Swissas a point of enlistment of the Serbian diasporaexplains Giffoni. «The report has been taken care of and we blocked traffic».
Doubts, documentaries and new accusations
In the 1995 there Digos investigates, but to no avail. Today the services cannot find confirmation of the precise Bosnian information. Meanwhile, the image of remains Sarajevo under fire, with banners “Pazi snajper” along the sniper avenue.
The first public complaint resurfaces in 2022 with the documentary Sarajevo Safari Of Miran Zupanic. Among the witnesses also a former Slovenian spy, code name “Cookie”which is about foreigners treated like VIPs Why paying.
Now the opening of the investigation to Milan reignited the case. A complaint from the Croatian journalist also appears Domagoj Margetic against the Serbian president Aleksandar Vucicaccused of having participated in the “human huntingVucic flatly denied it: «Never in life I was a sniper.” But he would have joined theChetnik unit which operated from Jewish cemetery above Sarajevo.
