Serbian NGOs Urge UN Probe Into 'Sound Cannon' Claims
TIRANA, Albania - Fourteen Serbian non-governmental organisations have called on Belgrade to petition the United Nations to open an independent international investigation into the alleged use of a sonic weapon against demonstrators in the Serbian capital, more than a year after an incident at a major anti-government protest left thousands of participants shaken and questions over police conduct unresolved.
In a joint statement published Tuesday, the organisations urged the Serbian state to formally request that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights establish a fact-finding mission into events at a protest in Belgrade on March 15, 2025. They described such a mission as the only credible remaining mechanism capable of establishing the truth, citing what they characterised as the failure of domestic judicial institutions to conduct an impartial inquiry.
"Given that the domestic judiciary has succumbed to political pressure and transformed the investigation into the political persecution of victims and those who supported them, a UN mission is the only remaining guarantee capable of impartially establishing the full truth about the sonic blast that affected thousands of citizens of Serbia," the organisations wrote.
The March 15 demonstration drew thousands of people to Belgrade in silent vigil, calling for accountability over the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station several months earlier. The disaster had sparked sustained public anger across Serbia. During the vigil, the crowd suddenly dispersed in a brief stampede. Many participants later reported hearing an unusual sound in the moments before the dispersal - described variously as "like from a movie," akin to a jet plane, or a "low howling sound" - fuelling immediate suspicion that authorities had deployed an acoustic device against the gathering.
Serbian police initially denied owning such equipment. That position became untenable after photo evidence and media reports surfaced, and police subsequently acknowledged possessing acoustic devices. They maintained that none had been activated during the protest.
Reporting on Tuesday's appeal was published by BIRN, with Gordana Andric filing from Belgrade on June 23, 2026.
The 14 NGOs framed their call as a last resort, arguing that domestic legal avenues have been not merely exhausted but actively turned against those who suffered harm and those who sought to document it. Calling on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights marks a significant escalation - invoking an international mechanism typically reserved for situations in which member states are unable or unwilling to guarantee independent accountability for alleged violations.
The Serbian NGOs' appeal arises at a time when debates over state conduct during public protests and the independence of domestic judiciaries are live concerns across the Western Balkans, including in Albania. No Albanian institutions or officials have been named in connection with the appeal, and details of any direct implications for Albanian governance remain unconfirmed.
No formal Serbian government response to the NGOs' statement had been confirmed at the time of reporting. Whether the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will act on the request, and on what timeline, has not been confirmed
