Serbian officials have denied that the country's security forces used military-grade sonic devices to disperse and frighten peaceful protesters at a large anti-government rally held over the weekend. This incident has sparked widespread attention and controversy.
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03-17, 2025Opposition officials and Serbian human rights organizations claim that authorities used sonic weapons, which are widely prohibited and emit directed sound beams that can temporarily incapacitate people. They stated that they would file lawsuits with the European Court of Human Rights and domestic courts, demanding an investigation into the matter.
The protesters came from all over the country, and the protest stemmed from continued public dissatisfaction with the collapse of the Novi Sad train station roof in November of last year. According to the Public Assembly Archive, the number of participants in the protest ranged from 275,000 to 325,000, while the government estimated the number to be 107,000. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warned earlier this week that security forces would use force against the protesting demonstrators, and said that the demonstrators could never force him to step down.
Videos from the rally showed people suddenly scattering to the sides and rushing into the streets while observing a 15-minute moment of silence for the train station disaster. Protester Dusan Simin told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that the sound resembled "an airplane landing from the direction of the presidential palace." He added: "We couldn't escape, we didn't know what to do. People instinctively thought something was going to rush into the street, so they started running to the sides and we all fell."
The Belgrade Center for Security Policy, a non-governmental organization, condemned the act, calling it an "illegal and inhumane deployment of prohibited weapons such as sonic devices against peaceful protesters." The organization pointed out that "the use of sonic devices and similar weapons is illegal because they are not included in the group control measures permitted by the current Law on Police." Balkan News Network N1 quoted military analyst Aleksandar Radic as saying that sonic cannons or Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) caused the unexpected noise. Radic claimed on N1: "This weapon was used in a situation where all the demonstrators were peaceful and were conveying a 15-minute message for the victims. The sole purpose of this act was to brutally demonstrate force, prove arrogance, and its motivation was hatred of its own people."
James Parker, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne and director of a research project entitled "Law, Sound and International," said that Long Range Acoustic Devices are sometimes referred to as sonic weapons because of their so-called alert tones. He indicated that, based on the current situation, it did not appear that one had been used. Dr. Parker told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "(The sound) sounds a bit like a siren and is deliberately in the mid-to-high frequency range, which is the frequency range where the human ear is most susceptible to discomfort, pain, and in some cases, even permanent damage." He added: "In the video, it is not clear whether these frequencies are necessarily likely to cause hearing damage. But what is obvious is that people are frightened, which is different from typical Long Range Acoustic Device videos."
Dr. Parker said that in typical Long Range Acoustic Device videos, people usually cover their ears and then slowly start to run away because they are familiar with the sound of the siren, even though it is painful. But this does not seem to be the case here. "I think this video looks like people are terrified and don't understand whether it's a sound or something is coming at them. This video looks like the sound was used to create fear. That's my initial reaction, but I can't tell if they used a Long Range Acoustic Device." He said that Long Range Acoustic Devices can be connected to MP3 players and can produce sound in this way, but he was unsure if this would produce the whooshing sound reported by protesters.
Serbian police and the Ministry of Defense have denied using Long Range Acoustic Devices. Serbian President urged the judiciary on Sunday to respond to information that "sonic cannons were used during the protests," the national broadcaster RTS reported. "I ask... the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor's Office to react, either to prosecute those who used it, and we know they didn't, but let's check," Vucic said. "Let them file a lawsuit, but they should also sue those who publicly spread this notorious lie." Belgrade hospitals denied reports that many people sought medical help after the incident. Serbia has not denied that it has sonic devices in its arsenal.
The Belgrade Center for Security Policy said that in 2022, the Ministry of the Interior attempted to legalize sonic devices as a crowd control tool. But under public pressure, the draft was withdrawn. However, it is believed that a new draft law is currently being drafted, but remains closed to the public. Sonic or ultrasonic weapons are devices that use sound waves to injure or incapacitate opponents. According to experts, people exposed to the weapon may experience: severe ear pain, disorientation and panic, high blood pressure, and nausea. Prolonged exposure can lead to ruptured eardrums and irreversible hearing damage.
Authorities have faced protests almost daily since the collapse of the roof of a train station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, in November of last year, which killed 15 people. Students, teachers and other workers blamed the disaster on rampant government corruption and negligence. They also demanded the release of documents related to the disaster and accountability for those responsible. Protesters believe that the disaster reflects Vucic's more than ten years in power - he is closely associated with the station's recent renovation. Although several people, including then-Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, resigned, and Vucic insisted that he would not leave, the protests have grown over the past four months. "Today we will show our dissent... to show what we are fighting for, a normal country, a country ruled by law, without corruption, lies, media pressure and persecution," said Aleksa Cvetanovic, a 23-year-old student. Prosecutors have charged at least 16 people, including former construction minister Goran Vesic, with crimes related to the railway disaster. But the charges have not yet gone to trial.
