Italy Launches Probe into 'Sniper Tourism' Allegations from Bosnian War
In a chilling development, Italian authorities have opened an investigation in November 2025 into claims that some of its citizens may have participated in what has been described as 'sniper tourism' during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. This probe has reignited painful memories for survivors of the Siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege of a capital city in modern history.
A Personal Tragedy: The Death of Amel Hodzic
The human cost of these allegations is starkly illustrated by the story of Djemil Hodzic. In May 1995, during a seemingly ordinary afternoon in Sarajevo, twelve-year-old Djemil was playing marbles with friends while his sixteen-year-old brother, Amel, played tennis nearby. Suddenly, Amel stiffened, struggling to breathe with one hand pressed to his chest. Within seconds, a red blot spread across his white T-shirt.
"Amel was the tallest among us children - he was an easy target," recalls Djemil bitterly. The children realized Amel had been shot by a sniper positioned in the surrounding hills. Their mother, a nurse who had just returned from a night shift, was cooking lunch. An ambulance was called, but Amel died in her lap before it arrived.
Djemil, who communicated via email, believes his brother fell victim not just to sniper fire, but possibly to 'sniper tourism' - one of the darkest allegations to emerge from the Bosnian conflict.
What is 'Sniper Tourism'?
'Sniper tourism' refers to claims that wealthy foreign nationals paid Bosnian Serb soldiers substantial sums - reportedly between $90,000 and $115,000 - to shoot at Bosnian civilians from hilltop positions overlooking Sarajevo during the siege. Additional payments were allegedly made specifically to target children.
The war began after Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) declared independence from Yugoslavia in March 1992. Bosnian Serb leaders, seeking to create a "Greater Serbia," opposed the move, triggering a conflict that killed nearly 100,000 people and displaced more than a million.
The Italian Investigation and Survivor Accounts
The Italian probe was triggered by a 17-page complaint filed by Italian journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni, who claims that wealthy foreigners - including Italians - participated in these paid killings.
Survivors have responded with outrage and painful recollections. Elza, now 50, who requested to be identified by her first name only, termed the reports on 'sniper tourism' as "despicable and grisly." She recounted: "During the war, I was a teen and had a lot of friends. We would meet in underground spaces. Every time I would see my friends, I would try to memorise their faces fearing that it could be our last meeting."
Harun Mehmedinovic, 42, a Bosnian-American filmmaker and survivor, explained that most people were killed by snipers as they tried to cross what became known as 'Sniper Alley' - the main boulevard in Sarajevo, particularly Ulica Zmaja od Bosne and Mesa Selimovic Boulevard. These streets formed a key route connecting the city center to the industrial area and airport.
"Anyone who didn't live in the city centre had to walk 1-2 km through that perilous alley to get potable water. They became easy targets," Mehmedinovic said.
Academic Perspective and Moral Reckoning
Habib AlBadawi, a professor at Lebanese University in Beirut who has written a research paper titled 'Hunting Humans- The Paid Killers of Sarajevo and The Milan Investigations', termed the Italian investigations as a "moral reckoning."
"The siege of Sarajevo remains one of the starkest examples of systematic violence against civilians in modern Europe post World War II," AlBadawi stated. "The Milan probe reveals that killing civilians in Sarajevo was, for some, a transactional service."
Preserving Memory and Moving Forward
Djemil Hodzic has launched a project titled 'Sniper Alley', documenting eyewitness accounts and creating an online archive of photographs taken during the siege. "I found it important to ensure the world does not forget the hell Bosnians went through, while many responsible are still free and unpunished," he said.
The physical scars remain visible today. Several buildings in Sarajevo still bear bullet marks, though many have been repurposed. As Chan Siu Ki from Hong Kong, a travel vlogger who visited the city in 2018, observed: "The buildings have become ordinary apartments now, with advertisements hung on the rooftop and walls, as if nothing had ever happened."
The Italian investigation represents a significant step toward accountability for alleged war crimes that have haunted survivors for decades, while highlighting the ongoing struggle between memory and normalization in post-conflict societies.
