“The war never ends, it just moves on a little.“
Books born from journalistic investigations have the ability to profoundly shake society. Moreover, if the topics covered address transnational issues, they can even rewrite part of the history of certain nations. The deeper the search for truth digs, the more the veil of hypocrisy, steeped in clichés, is stripped away, revealing the stark reality of the facts, which our consciences must confront. Ezio Gavazzeni’s book, in our opinion, fits perfectly into this category.
Starting from memories of old newspaper articles from 1995, the journalist sets out to uncover the facts regarding the possible involvement of Western citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the civil war, and more specifically during the siege of Sarajevo.
What does this mean specifically? The active participation of Western citizens (and in this case, by Westerners, we mean the Western world of the time) in the petty sniping of defenseless populations. A way of waging war that was characteristic of the siege of the Bosnian capital, given its geographic conformation. A manhunt, or rather, a hunt for children, who were the most coveted prey, in what would later be called “human safaris.”
A historical truth known to local populations, sometimes hushed up by institutions, has often fallen on deaf ears. This is why the value of Gavazzeni’s work will have a significant impact on our consciences and the rewriting of history. Looking at our own backyard, we cannot help but feel ashamed for the involvement of some Italians, who on Friday nights shed the clothes of businessmen, aristocrats, and wealthy individuals to become manhunters on the weekends. All this after paying large sums of money to international criminal organizations.
The author deserves credit for his meticulous work in gathering testimonies and cross-referencing, further solidifying his investigation. For this and many other things you’ll find in the book, we appreciate it and recommend reading it, so that no one can claim to be unaware of the true story.
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Ezio Gavazzeni, I cecchini del weekend, PaperFIRST, Roma, 2026