A man described as a “crucial witness” in a disturbing investigation into claims that wealthy Europeans paid to shoot civilians for sport during the Bosnian war has died under unexplained circumstances.
Slavko Aleksic, a former Bosnian militia leader who commanded sniper positions overlooking Sarajevo in the 1990s, died at age 69 in the city of Trebinje.
His death comes just weeks after Italian prosecutors reopened an investigation into allegations of so-called “human safaris” during the siege of Sarajevo.
The probe centers on claims that rich foreign tourists paid Bosnian Serb forces large sums of money to fire on unarmed civilians trapped in the city.
More than 11,500 people were killed during the siege between 1992 and 1996, the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare.
Aleksic, a former post office worker turned militia commander, controlled sniper nests in a Jewish cemetery above Sarajevo. He became infamous for driving a car with a human skull mounted on the bonnet and wearing a UN helmet.
Italian magistrates are reviewing new evidence suggesting wealthy hunters from Europe traveled to Bosnia to take part in the killings.
Investigators are also examining claims that Italy’s secret services blocked Italian snipers from traveling from Trieste to join the alleged “human safaris.”
Serbian lawyer Cedomir Stojkovic said Aleksic’s death could severely harm the investigation.
“He could have said who did the shooting and who organised it,” Stojkovic said.
“He would have been a crucial witness.”
Croatian investigative journalist Domagoj Margetic also raised concerns about the timing of Aleksic’s death.
“In November, Aleksic was apparently in good health — and now he has suddenly, and very conveniently, died,” Margetic said.
Last month, Margetic alleged Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was involved in organizing the alleged sniper safaris.
Vucic’s spokeswoman strongly denied the claim, saying the president was in the area at the time but working as a journalist.
Aleksic appeared on Serbian television on Nov. 24 and denied that Vucic had any role in sniper activity.
“Aleksic was alive and well then, did not announce a fatal illness and, on the contrary, said he would testify in favour of Vucic,” Margetic said.
On Dec. 12, Aleksic phoned a radio show claiming he was in a hospital in Belgrade.
Margetic said a source told him Aleksic had been transferred from Bosnia to Belgrade’s military hospital by Serbia’s secret service.
“It’s reasonable to think Aleksic’s death was linked to the ‘human safari’ probe and that Serbian intelligence was involved,” Stojkovic said.
Margetic also claimed Aleksic’s body was later returned to Bosnia.
“A source in a hospital in Bosnia told me Aleksic’s body was brought back to Bosnia so he could be declared dead there,” he said.
Margetic has appealed to Bosnian war crimes prosecutors to halt any burial or cremation and called for a full post-mortem to test for poison.
Asked whether Serbian intelligence was involved, a spokesperson for Vucic dismissed the allegations.
“This person died in another country,” the spokesperson said.
“Please read the serious news, not Domagoj Margetic.”
Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik paid tribute to Aleksic, calling him “a great patriot who left an indelible mark on the history of the Serbian people.”
“May he be eternally glorified and thanked for everything he did for his people and homeland,” Dodik wrote on X.
The investigation was revived following the 2022 documentary Sarajevo Safari, directed by Miran Zupanič.
The film alleged elite gun enthusiasts from Italy, the United States, Russia, Canada, and other countries paid to shoot civilians for entertainment. It also claimed tourists paid more to target children.
Italian journalist Ezio Gavazzeni later filed a formal complaint with prosecutors in Milan, alleging visitors paid Bosnian Serb fighters between £70,000 and £88,000 for trips to sniper positions.
Prosecutors are now examining whether up to 100 wealthy tourists took part.
“The clients came from many countries: they were Italian, German, French, English, Spanish, American, or Canadian,” Gavazzeni said.
“Why did no country ever launch an investigation?
Maybe because they were powerful, wealthy, and socially influential individuals.”
Gavazzeni added, “These people had no pretext: they fired at anyone who appeared in their sights — whether a child, a woman, a man, or an elderly person. With no sense of morality whatsoever.”
Survivors of the siege have called for the harshest possible punishment for those involved.
Sarajevo residents lived in constant fear of sniper fire, especially along the main boulevard known as “Sniper Alley.”
Professor Kenneth Morrison, a Balkans expert, said the allegations shocked the public because of who was allegedly involved.
“What’s shocking about this story is that it’s wealthy individuals that have allegedly paid to do this,” he said.
“They were hunting human prey with no regard for human life.”
He added, “There is a perception that rich people do what they do, and in this case that allegedly includes killing, and somehow they’re never prosecuted.”
Whether Aleksic’s death will derail the investigation remains unclear.
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