Bosnia Probes Video of Sarajevo Siege Snipers

The Bosnian prosecution said on Friday that it has begun a probe after media in the country published video from a documentary film made in 1992 by French journalist Philippe Buffon about snipers operating in Sarajevo during the siege of the city.

"After several websites and media outlets broadcast a video made by a foreign reporter, depicting sniping activities in the Nedzarici neighbourhood of Sarajevo, the available recordings and photos have been collected and the Special War Crimes Section has established a case within which all the circumstances, facts and allegations about the sniping activities from that location targeted against civilian victims in the Alipasino Polje neighbourhood will be examined," the prosecution announced.

One Bosnian website, Istraga.ba, claimed that it had identified the people in the video and interviewed the family of a boy killed by sniper fire in the Nedzarici neighbourhood.

A cable TV company, Telemach BH, claimed it had recognised one of its staff members in the video and suspended him.

"Telemach BH cannot launch investigations. That can only be done by the relevant institutions. However, due to the public upset, as well as for the sake of our company's employees, we have decided to suspend the staff member until judicial bodies in Bosnia have determined the facts and made a decision," the company announced.

No indictments have ever been filed against the direct perpetrators of sniper attacks on Sarajevo during the siege, despite the fact that the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague has significant evidence including military reports and orders.

The wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb Army's Sarajevo-Romanija Corps, Stanislav Galic, was jailed for life by the Hague Tribunal for...