{"id":20270,"date":"2025-03-19T13:17:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T12:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.masina.rs\/eng\/?p=20270"},"modified":"2025-05-07T20:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T19:48:03","slug":"suspected-use-of-sound-cannon-on-demonstrations-in-belgrade-civil-society-organisations-collect-citizens-testimonies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masina.rs\/eng\/suspected-use-of-sound-cannon-on-demonstrations-in-belgrade-civil-society-organisations-collect-citizens-testimonies\/","title":{"rendered":"Suspected use of sound cannon on demonstrations in Belgrade \u2013 Civil society organisations collect citizens\u2019 testimonies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Civil society organisations including: Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Civic Initiatives, Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights \u2013 YUCOM<\/em>, Initiative A 11, FemPlatz and CRTA announced that by noon on Monday, March 17 2025, they had received more than 3,000 testimonies from Serbian citizens regarding the events that unfolded on March 15, 2025, in Belgrade\u2019s city centre, from Slavija Square to Terazije and in the surrounding streets, during the 15 minutes of silence that started at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collection of testimonials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Civil society organisations also announced that in their discussion with the State Police, UKP<\/em>, their representatives made a recommendation for the First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade to publicly invite citizens to contribute for establishing the truth about what happened, particularly with regards to the tools used during the fifteen-minute silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citizens should be invited to directly contact the prosecutor’s office and \u2013 if they are willing to \u2013 submit video recordings of the event, their testimonies and medical documentation documenting injuries \u2013 both from the stomping and from the effects of an unknown device or technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In our conversation with the State Police, UKP<\/em>, we learnt that they had been told by the assigned prosecutor that in order to take further action in this case, they will need the direct testimonies of the victims\u201d the organisations have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation ProGlas<\/em> demand an investigation into the use of unidentified weapons against peaceful citizens\u2019 demonstrations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“The use of an unidentified weapon, which is suspected to be a sound cannon, represents an attack on the health and safety, political rights and freedoms of the citizens of Serbia,” the organisation ProGlas said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Since the use of such weapons is prohibited by the laws of the Republic of Serbia and thus represents an attack on the constitutional order, ProGlas demand an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the illegal use of an unidentified weapon suspected to be a sound cannon, into the chain of command that led to such drastic lawlessness that threatened the lives, health and safety of a large number of citizens, as well as into the circumstances under which the Ministry of Internal Affairs, MUP,<\/em> acquired weapons that are prohibited under the laws of the Republic of Serbia and the laws of most European countries” reads the statement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On the 16th of March 2025, Earshot was contacted by activists in Serbia to investigate the potential use of sonic weapons by the government on a crowd of protestors as they were holding a silent vigil for the victims of the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse.

Earshot\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/vLGovbQYfm<\/a><\/p>— earshot.ngo (@earshot_ngo) March 17, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>