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https://doi.org/10.46672/po-mest.29.1-2.2
“Sarajevo Safari” – From Dark Tourism and Victim Dehumanization to New Criminal Proceedings
Dijana Gracin
orcid.org/0000-0002-6732-2659
; Sveučilište obrane i sigurnosti „Dr. Franjo Tuđman”
Ivica Kinder
orcid.org/0009-0004-7383-6447
; Sveučilište obrane i sigurnosti „Dr. Franjo Tuđman”
Sažetak
This article provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the sociological, ethical, and legal dimensions of alleged civilian involvement in sniper attacks targeting the civilian population during the siege of Sarajevo (1992–1995), as depicted in the 2022 documentary Sarajevo safari. While the ICTY judicially determined in its cases against Stanislav Galić and Dragomir Milošević that a systematic campaign of sniping and shelling against civilians existed, the alleged direct participation of civilians including foreign nationals, and the enabling role of civilian and military structures, remain insufficiently investigated and largely unprosecuted. The study begins with the paradigms of dark tourism and dehumanization, highlighting social and psychological mechanisms that may underlie engagement in or rationalization of violence. Dehumanization, understood as the denial of rights, dignity, and empathy to a targeted group, weakens moral and social restraints against violent conduct. Yet such violence does not require complete denial of victims’ humanity; cognizance of their suffering and fear may be instrumentalized for intimidation, assertion of power, or deviant gratification.
Treating civilians as targets exemplifies radical moral distancing and the deliberate instrumentalization of human vulnerability in armed conflict. From a legal perspective, the article examines how these actions could be qualified under international criminal law. They may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, allowing for the attribution of individual and command criminal responsibility without limitation. While ICTY judgments did not require identification of direct perpetrators to establish the accountability of Galić and Milošević, future proceedings addressing direct perpetrators would demand precise identification, reconstruction of temporal and spatial circumstances, and demonstrable causal links between acts and outcomes. These evidentiary challenges are heightened by the passage of over three decades, the scarcity of contemporaneous forensic material, and the prior complexities in determining firing positions. The ICTY confirmed the existence of the Novo Sarajevo Chetnik Detachment within the Army of Republika Srpska, with witness testimony identifying certain members. This may allow for testimonial evidence regarding the alleged “Sarajevo Safari” phenomenon, while potentially exposing witnesses to intimidation in socially and politically sensitive proceedings. International criminal law extends liability beyond direct perpetrators to those who plan, organize, instigate, or knowingly permit crimes, enabling analysis of political, ideological, and organizational chains of responsibility. Beyond criminal
responsibility, the phenomenon raises broader societal questions about mechanisms that facilitate or normalize violence against civilians and prompts reflection on contemporary analogues, including the use of drones against civilians in ongoing armed conflicts. Discussion of “Sarajevo Safari” should transcend sensationalism, fostering sustained reflection on moral and criminal responsibility, and the obligations to provide justice, acknowledgment, and moral comfort to victims’ families. The continued silence of prominent war correspondents from wartime Sarajevo limits both the verification of facts and the critical assessment of contemporary media and documentary reports.
Ključne riječi
“Sarajevo safari”; international law; ICTY; war crimes; crimes against humanity; dark tourism; dehumanisation of victims
Hrčak ID:
346890
URI
Datum izdavanja:
5.5.2026.
Posjeta: 363 *