Serbia denies use of sonic weapons against protesters
- Several months of protests in Serbia followed a deadly accident at a railway station, demanding government accountability.
- During a recent protest in Belgrade, opposition leaders claimed security forces used sonic weapons, which the government denied.
- The Serbian government called accusations of weapon use a political attempt to destabilize the country and maintain that police acted justly.
In Serbia, significant protests erupted following a tragic incident at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people. This led citizens to demand accountability for what they viewed as rampant government corruption and negligence, culminating in anti-government demonstrations. During a rally in Belgrade attended by at least 100,000 people, some protesters reported experiencing a sudden whooshing sound, triggering panic and a brief stampede. Opposition officials alleged that security forces used a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) to disperse crowds, a claim the government strongly denied, asserting that police acted within legal limits. The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, criticized the accusations as false and politically motivated, claiming that the reports of sonic weapons were an attempt to destabilize the nation. Officials from the police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs reiterated there was no evidence supporting the claims that sonic weapons were utilized. Furthermore, Belgrade's emergency hospital dismissed reports of people seeking medical assistance, challenging the veracity of these allegations. The Serbian government maintains that the demonstrations are politically charged and aims to undermine its authority. As the protests continue, they symbolize broader unrest related to government accountability.