The decision on whether to accept and consider the draft resolution regarding the “Sarajevo Safari” has been postponed until December following a heated debate at a meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Aleksandar Mirković, a member of this body and of the Serbian parliamentary delegation, challenged the proposal, pointing out that the information in question had already been dismissed by the judicial authorities of certain European states and disputed by influential European media outlets.
Following a sharp debate among the members, Chairperson Eerik-Niiles Kross proposed postponing the final decision until the next meeting in December—a proposal that was ultimately accepted, according to a statement from the Serbian parliament.
The “Sarajevo Safari” case concerns an investigation previously launched by Italian judicial authorities based on allegations that several individuals from Italy paid to travel to Bosnian Serb army positions—which were besieging Sarajevo—during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to shoot at civilians.
There are indications that nationals of other European countries also participated, prompting judicial authorities in Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium to join the investigation. Some European media outlets have linked Aleksandar Vučić, the outgoing Serbian president, to expeditions during the Siege of Sarajevo in which wealthy foreign tourists used sniper rifles to shoot at people—allegations Vučić has denied, threatening to sue the media outlets that connected him to the scandal.
During the session, Biljana Pantić Pilja, head of the Serbian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, highlighted the political crisis in Kosovo, noting that the territory could soon face new elections; she stated that this situation reflects the depth of political instability and the institutional crisis within Europe’s youngest state.
She also drew attention to the threats facing the safety of Serbs in Kosovo and the violation of their fundamental rights, while reminding the assembly that the Community of Serb Municipalities—a key obligation under the Brussels Agreement—has yet to be established.
The autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg runs from September 28 to October 2, 2026; delegates are discussing reforms to the organization, the role of the diaspora and migrants in fostering social cohesion, climate change, artificial intelligence, family policy, and threats to media pluralism and independence.
