Serbia’s president has been accused of involvement in “sniper safaris” in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, in which wealthy foreigners allegedly paid large sums of money to shoot civilians.
Aleksandar Vucic is alleged to have been present at one of the military positions above the city from where foreigners are said to have paid to shoot at its residents during the 1992 to 1996 siege.
Video footage has also emerged that appears to show him as a young man travelling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, which had, on its boot, a human skull wearing a blue United Nations peacekeeper’s helmet.
The claims against Mr Vucic – which he strenuously denies – have been made by Domagoj Margetic, a Croatian investigative journalist.
He has filed a complaint about the president with Italian prosecutors, who are already investigating allegations that Italians, Russians and Americans took part in “human sniper safaris” during the conflict.
Mr Margetic said: “I have informed the public prosecutor’s office of all my knowledge about Aleksandar Vucic’s connection with human safaris in wartime Sarajevo.
“I have attached all the evidence, video materials, photo documentation, audio and video documentation, as well as media documentation from that time”.
In his submission, Mr Margetic alleged that Mr Vucic was “a member of a paramilitary detachment, under the control of the Serbian Radical Party from Serbia, during the war in 1992 and 1993”.
Aleksandar Vucic
Mr Vucic has strenuously denied any involvement in war crimes Credit: REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic
The unit was “stationed at a war position... at the Jewish cemetery in Sarajevo”, Mr Margetic claimed. The cemetery was used as a sniper position by Serbian forces.
More than 10,000 people were killed by shelling and sniper fire during the siege.
Mr Margetic further claimed that the information “places him without any doubt at the time and place of these crimes”.
He cited video footage from 1993 which, he claimed, showed Mr Vucic carrying a rifle.
The Serbian leader’s supporters have dismissed the claims and said the object in the footage was a television camera tripod, which Mr Vucic was carrying because he was working as a journalist at the time.
Mr Vucic has said the object was an umbrella.
Prosecutors in Milan opened their investigation after receiving information claiming that rich Italians were among the wealthy outsiders who paid to shoot at Bosnian civilians, with a premium put on women, children and men in uniform.
The “war tourists” were allegedly allowed to shoot at civilians by Bosnian Serb militias under the command of Radovan Karadzic.
Suzana Vasiljevic, a spokesman for the president, told The Telegraph: “The claims put forward by Croatian journalist Domagoj Margetic represent a textbook case of malicious disinformation, purpose-built to erode the institutional credibility of the Republic of Serbia and its president.
“President Vucic did not participate in combat activities, did not use weapons, and had no role in any wartime operations.”
She added that the allegations were “politically motivated” and an attempt to “undermine Serbia’s international reputational standing”.
Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic was convicted of war crimes in 2016, and is serving his sentence in a British prison
Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic was convicted of war crimes in 2016 Credit: Ranko Cukovic/Reuters
A documentary called “Sarajevo Safari”, released in 2022 by a Slovenian director, made similar allegations about foreigners on “weekend war safaris”.
Asked about the recently posted video which appears to show Mr Vucic with the skull vehicle, a Serbian source said the car did not belong to him and, in any case, “cars like that were all over the war zone.”
Claims that wealthy foreigners travelled to Sarajevo for “sniper safaris” have been echoed by an Italian former diplomat.
Michael Giffoni, who was the deputy head of Italy’s diplomatic mission in Sarajevo, claimed that as soon as he arrived in the city in 1994, he was told: “You know, there are safaris being organised. Loads of wealthy people are coming here – some are hunters, others are businessmen. The army and the paramilitaries take them to the hills [above Sarajevo] and for that they pay.”
SISMI, an Italian intelligence agency, was told of the war tourism and, in co-operation with Bosnian intelligence, was able to shut down the arrival of Italians, he told La Repubblica newspaper. “The agency identified who was organising the whole thing and closed it down,” he said.
A UN soldier offers sweets to children in Sarajevo during the war
A UN soldier offers sweets to children in Sarajevo during the war Credit: JOEL ROBINE/AFP/Getty Images
However, Italian authorities were not able to identify any of their citizens who allegedly took part in the shooting of civilians. “If we had had a name, we would have prosecuted them,” Mr Giffoni said.
Balkan experts have told The Telegraph that the allegations could be true, but should be treated with caution.
Dr Helena Ivanov, from the Henry Jackson Society think tank, said: “A lot of terrible things happened during the war, but there were also horrific stories that turned out not to be true – claims that Muslim extremists threw Serb babies to lions in a zoo, for instance, or that fighters on all three sides made necklaces from babies’ fingers.
“Fake stories can stick around for a long time. Whenever there is a claim that is really explosive, like the one about sniper safaris, it needs to be subjected to a full and transparent inquiry.
“If there are credible accusations, then they should be investigated.”
Civilians run for cover from sniper fire in Sarajevo in April 1993
Civilians run for cover from sniper fire in Sarajevo in April 1993 Credit: AP Photo/Michael Stravato
The video that appears to show Mr Vucic with the vehicle adorned with a skull was posted by Prof Jasmin Mujanovic, a Balkan expert and author.
He said there was “mounting evidence… including testimony from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, of the existence of ‘human safaris’ conducted by Serb nationalist forces on behalf of wealthy foreign tourists”.
The evidence should lead to investigations “in four or five different countries”, he added.
Prof Mujanovic said the allegations were “plausible” but cautioned: “We should always demand that extraordinary claims have extraordinary proof.”
“They deserve to be further examined by Italian and other international police agencies. One actually hopes that they will be found to be just urban legends, given the implied horror. But if they are true, then robust criminal charges must be pressed against all those involved,” he added.