Belgrade: Serbian officials have denied that the country’s security forces used a military-grade sonic weapon to disperse and scare peaceful protesters at a major anti-government rally in the capital at the weekend.
At least 100,000 people descended on Belgrade on Saturday for a mass rally seen as a culmination of months-long protests against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and his government.
Thousands of protesters hold up their mobile phones during Saturday’s major rally in Belgrade.Credit: Getty Images
Opposition officials and Serbian rights groups claimed that the widely banned acoustic weapon, which emits a targeted beam to temporarily incapacitate people, was used during the protest.
They say they will file charges against those who ordered the attack with the European Court of Human Rights and domestic courts.
Serbian police and the Defence Ministry denied that the illegal weapon was used, while Vučić described it as “a notorious lie”. Serbia did not deny having such an acoustic device in its arsenal.
The rally was part of a nationwide anti-corruption movement that erupted after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north in November, killing 15 people.
Protesters march during a major rally against Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Almost daily demonstrations that started in response to the tragedy have shaken Vučić’s decade-long firm grip on power in Serbia, where many blame the canopy collapse on rampant government corruption, negligence and disrespect of construction safety regulations, demanding accountability for the victims.
Footage from the rally showed people standing during 15 minutes of silence for the rail station disaster while suddenly experiencing a whooshing sound that immediately triggered panic and a brief stampede.
