On Nov. 18, Italian prosecutors launched an investigation into “sniper safaris,” which allegedly took place during the 1990s siege of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The legal complaint was submitted by Ezio Gavazzeni, a writer who gathered evidence on the allegations, inspired by the Slovenian director Zupanič’s documentary “Sarajevo Safari.” Gavazzeni then began gathering evidence, including a report by the former mayor of Sarajevo, Benjamina Karić. Gavazzeni’s allegations include claims that wealthy foreigners paid large sums of money to take part in shooting trips or “sniper safaris,” enabled by the Bosnian Serb Army during the four-year siege, in which 11,000 civilians were killed by Serbian armed forces, following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. Edin Subasic, a retired Bosnian army intelligence officer featured in the documentary, claimed that he learnt about foreigners paying money to shoot civilians from the testimony of a captured Bosnian Serb Army soldier. Some sources claim that there were different rates for shooting a man, woman or child. Gavazzeni’s case involved people from all over the world, including Italian, German, French, and English citizens. His case implies that there was no religious or political motivation, only a sick form of entertainment for foreign elites. Their payments were made to the Bosnian Serb Army, which was led by Radovan Karadžić, who was found guilty of genocide and other crimes against humanity. On Nov. 19, investigative journalist Domagoj Margetić filed a complaint against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, after posting evidence on social media that Vučić, a young volunteer at the time, was present at one of the posts from which foreign citizens and Serbian ultranationalist units were shooting civilians. On Nov. 20, the Serbian President denied his involvement in the “sniper tourism” and claimed he has never killed anyone, nor “held a sniper rifle in [his] life.” As of Nov. 24, his latest statement to The Guardian claims his stay in Pale (near Sarajevo) was only as a television journalist and translator, with no military involvement. As Milan prosecutors move forward, the investigation represents a rare chance to confront one of the most horrifying allegations of the Bosnian war. Survivors are clear about one thing: the world owes them a thorough, uncompromising pursuit of truth. Three decades after the siege, accountability is no longer just a legal question, it is a moral one. Marija Janeva is a Managing Editor. Email them at feedback@thegazelle.org