The Belgian public prosecutor's office is considering launching an investigation into the “Sniper Safaris” in Sarajevo during the war in Bosnia in the 1990s. Any criminal acts may not yet be time-barred, according to Chris Van den Wyngaert, former Flemish judge at the International Criminal Court and the Yugoslavia Tribunal.
Last week, it emerged that the Milan public prosecutor's office in Italy is launching an investigation into “Sniper Safaris” during the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. In the hills surrounding the current Bosnian capital Sarajevo, wealthy foreigners are said to have paid large sums of money to shoot at the city's population.
The investigation comes after a complaint by journalist and author Ezio Gavazzeni, who researched the events. Gavazzeni's lawyer told the Belgian daily La Libre Belgique that Belgians were also involved in the safaris, alongside French nationals, Germans “and other nationalities”.
What was the Bosnian War? (1992-1995)
The Bosnian War broke out when Bosnia and Herzegovina seceded from Yugoslavia in 1992. The population of Bosnia consists of Bosnian Muslims, Bosnian Serbs who are Orthodox Christians, and Roman Catholic Croats.
The Bosnian Serbs did not want an independent Bosnia, where they would become a minority and declared their own state and attacked Sarajevo.
Ethnic cleansing occurred, targeting anyone who was not Serbian. Bosnian Muslims were the main victims. They were murdered, their houses were set on fire, they were imprisoned in concentration camps and women were raped en masse. More than 11,000 people were killed.
Rumours have been around for a long time
‘I couldn't believe it, it's so unlikely.’ That was Chris Van den Wyngaert's reaction when she heard the news about the safaris. For many years Van den Wyngaert was a judge at the International Criminal Court and the Yugoslavia Tribunal, which was set up to punish those responsible for atrocities at the time.
‘I served on the tribunal for seven years and I have never heard about this before. Rumours have been around for a long time, but no evidence has yet been found,’ Van den Wyngaert told VRT.
If Belgians were involved, can they still be prosecuted? ‘They cannot be brought before the International Criminal Court, because it did not exist at the time. However, the public prosecutor's office here in Belgium can launch an investigation.’
‘Possible perpetrators are not subject to the laws of war, because they would be civilians. If murder is involved, the facts may be time-barred, but offences may also be considered a crime against humanity, and those cannot be time-barred,’ explains Van den Wyngaert.