Rich Tourists Pay £70k for Human Safari Trips
Hear’s a breakdown of the key facts from the provided text:
The Allegation:
* Wealthy tourists, primarily from Trieste, Italy, allegedly paid Bosnian Serb troops during the Siege of Sarajevo (early 1990s) to kill unarmed civilians for “sniper tourism.”
* The investigation was triggered by the testimony of a former magistrate, Guido Salvini, and Benjamina Karic, the former mayor of Sarajevo.
Key People Involved:
* Radovan Karadžić: The former Bosnian Serb leader whose army is accused of carrying out the killings. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2016 for genocide and crimes against humanity.
* Alessandro Gobbi: The lead prosecutor on the current investigation, who reportedly has a list of potential witnesses.
* Guido Salvini: Former magistrate whose testimony helped launch the investigation.
* Benjamina Karic: Former mayor of Sarajevo (2021-2024) whose testimony helped launch the investigation.
* Gavazzeni: A source who spoke to la Repubblica and provided details about the previous shelved investigation and the potential number of tourists involved.
Details of the Alleged Activity:
* Tourists would travel from Trieste to sarajevo during the siege.
* They would pay troops to target and kill civilians.
* It’s estimated that up to 100 tourists may have participated in these “sniper tours.”
* A previous investigation was closed due to the difficulties of gathering evidence in a war-scarred country.
Context:
* the Siege of Sarajevo was a brutal period where civilians were constantly at risk from sniper fire.
* The text includes images illustrating the devastation and suffering during the war, including scenes of wrecked streets, a mass grave from the Srebrenica massacre, and civilians at risk.