Serbian activists submitted a petition to the United Nations in Belgrade on Tuesday, gathering over half a million signatures to demand an international investigation into the alleged use of sound weapons against protesters during last month’s mass demonstrations against corruption.
The largest protest in Serbia in decades turned chaotic after an unexplained loud noise. According to AFP, cited by the Digital Journal, social media footage showed crowds fleeing in panic, leading to allegations that a sound weapon or “sound cannon” had been used against demonstrators—claims that authorities strongly deny.
Several Serbian civil society groups reported collecting over 3,000 testimonies, with some protesters claiming to have suffered lasting health issues.
Some demonstrators described hearing a noise similar to a crashing airplane, while others said it sounded like a car speeding toward them.
The petition was launched by the KreniPromeni movement, calling for an independent international investigation into the incident.
It also demands accountability for those who ordered, enabled, or used such weapons.
“Nearly 600,000 people signing this petition reflects a high level of civic awareness,” said Savo Manojlović, the president of KreniPromeni, speaking to reporters.
Photos taken after the protests show a police vehicle equipped with a large device mounted on its hood.
Military analyst Aleksandar Radić told AFP the device resembles an American-made LRAD 450 acoustic device.
Interior Minister Ivica Dačić confirmed that the police possess such equipment but denied using it on demonstrators. President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed the allegations as “lies.”
An official investigation has been announced, with assistance from both the FBI and Russia’s FSB security service.
FSB experts reportedly arrived in Belgrade, although details remain unclear.
The controversy resurfaced this week after former Deputy Prime Minister Čedomir Jovanović unintentionally mentioned the sound weapon during a television appearance, unaware that a live broadcast had started.
“Someone played it, like music – a thunderous sound,” he said. “Not to injure anyone, just to scare – like a car chasing you,” he added.
He later said he was questioned by the police.
The student-led protests began in November after the collapse of a newly renovated concrete roof at the Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people.
Outrage over the incident, seen by some Serbs as proof of widespread corruption, erupted into the biggest unrest in the Balkan nation since the 1990s.
