Protesters in Serbia Demand Investigation into Use of “Sound Cannons”

Mass anti-corruption protests have been ongoing in Serbia for months (Wikimedia Commons).

More than half a million people petitioned online on March 21 calling for an independent investigation into whether security forces in Serbia used a sonic cannon in dispersing the protesters in an anti-corruption campaign. Over 590 hundred thousand people had added their names to the petition by March 25. “The use of sonic weapons on its citizens deeply violates the Serbian constitution and the internationally recognized human rights,” the petition states.

Six Serbia-based NGOs joined the petition to collect evidence about the alleged use of the sonic weapon. More than 3000 reports have already poured in to prove that the sonic weapons existed. Some witnesses described the feeling as “a powerful sonic impact, accompanied by heat waves,” while others described the sound as a “deep roar from a jet engine or a train in a tunnel,” and some said it was a “high-frequency whistle” or “an explosion.”

After the protesters took to the streets in the demonstrations, per the Guardian, human rights groups claimed that the Serbian government used “devices that sowed panic and left symptoms” on the protesters during the rally. However, Aleksandar Vučić, the current Serbian president, described the claim as a “wicked lie” with the goal of “destroying Serbia.” On the other hand, several protesters have stated that they suffered a “lingering headache” after the protest. 

There are many different explanations as to where the “sonic cannon” came from. Aleksandar Radić, a Bulgarian military analyst, said the equipment resembled an American-made acoustic device capable of delivering high-frequency sound waves over significant distances, according to the Guardian. In other words, Radić confirmed that the sound cannon existed, but believes it was a device from the United States that made it into the hands of the Serbian government.