US congresswoman to probe ‘human safari’ snipers in 1990s Bosnia War
A US congresswoman has pledged to probe allegations that “sniper tourists” paid tens of thousands of dollars to shoot civilians during the 1990s Bosnian War, and to determine if any Americans were involved.
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said Thursday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that she has launched an investigation into the alleged “murder tourism” and is coordinating with the Bosnian Consulate and the Italian Embassy, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“Paying money to shoot civilians – and even worse, to shoot children – is a level of evil our country cannot and will not tolerate,” said Luna, a former US Air Force member who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“If there are any Americans who have engaged in this, they deserve to be charged and prosecuted.”
The investigation follows reports that Italian prosecutors are looking into claims that Bosnian Serb forces organized “human safaris” for wealthy visitors in Sarajevo during the 1992–1995 siege of the city. Allegedly, some Italian nationals joined sniper units in exchange for €80,000–€100,000, targeting civilians for “entertainment,” according to Italian media. These men were reportedly far-right war tourists, not soldiers.
The siege of Sarajevo, lasting three and a half years, resulted in more than 11,500 civilian deaths, including 1,601 children, while the city’s infrastructure and cultural heritage were heavily damaged.
During the broader Bosnian War, Serb forces, supported by the Yugoslav army and paramilitary groups, carried out ethnic cleansing against Bosniak Muslims. By the war’s end, over 100,000 people were killed and around 2 million were displaced.
The new inquiry highlights lingering questions about international involvement in war crimes and the pursuit of accountability decades after the conflict.
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