At today’s meeting, the City Council of Sarajevo passed a decision giving consent for the City of Sarajevo to join the criminal proceedings related to the “Sarajevo Safari” case before the competent judicial authorities in Milan, Republic of Italy.
With the adopted decision, the City of Sarajevo joins the criminal proceedings initiated against persons who participated in sniping and shooting at the citizens of Sarajevo during the siege of the city.
The Mayor of the City of Sarajevo and the Attorney General’s Office of the City of Sarajevo are hereby authorized to take all necessary legal, technical and administrative actions within the scope of their competences in order to formally join the proceedings as an injured party.
The decision also implies the implementation of all necessary activities to collect relevant data and documentation about the citizens of Sarajevo who were killed by sniper shots during the siege of the city.
On December 18, 2025, the Consulate General of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Milan, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sent a letter to the City of Sarajevo regarding the court proceedings in Milan against the snipers who operated in Sarajevo. The Prosecutor’s Office of the City of Sarajevo received the aforementioned letter on December 29, 2025, and it stated that proceedings were initiated before the competent judicial authorities in Milan against persons – citizens of the Republic of Italy – suspected of sniping against the citizens of Sarajevo.
The criminal proceedings were initiated at the initiative of the Italian investigative journalist Ezi Gavazzeni, in cooperation with the former judge for criminal proceedings Guido Salvani. The investigation is led by prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, while the injured party is represented pro bono by lawyer Nicola Brigida, who sent an inquiry to the City of Sarajevo about the possibility of joining the proceedings as an injured party.
In accordance with the current provisions of the criminal legislation, the injured party has a limited procedural position, but may have a significant role in the procedure, depending on its stage. In the investigation phase, the injured party has the right to submit a property-legal claim, propose the presentation of evidence and act as an assistant to the prosecutor, taking into account the knowledge of the environment in which the criminal offense was committed, as well as the circumstances related to other injured persons.
In the stage of the main trial, the role of the injured party gains additional importance, since he can be called as a witness, present a property-legal claim, give a final presentation, and file an appeal against the decision.
The actions of snipers during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which included systematic shooting of unarmed civilians, represents an individual and collective trauma and a permanent scar for the city of Sarajevo and its citizens. During the siege of the city, more than 11,000 civilians lost their lives, including a large number of children.
The conduct of criminal proceedings against the responsible persons and the possible conviction of the perpetrators represent an important contribution to the protection of basic social values - the right to life, personal integrity and public order – to the preservation of the legal order, as well as to the satisfaction of justice and the protection of the rights and interests of victims and their families.
By adopting this decision, the City of Sarajevo, as an institution, is enabled to actively participate in the criminal proceedings, thereby contributing to establishing the truth, preserving the culture of memory and protecting the rights of all its citizens.
No additional financial resources are required for the implementation of the aforementioned decision.
