FOOTAGE has emerged showing what appears to be a military-grade sonic cannon being used to disperse peaceful protestors in Serbia.
Riot police allegedly deployed the mysterious weapon to attack hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who had gathered in Belgrade to stage a massive protest against government corruption.
Thousands of protesters take part in one of the largest anti-corruption demonstrations in Belgrade, Serbia[/caption]
Footage shows thousands of rally-goers filling the city’s streets before a deafening roar ripped through the place.
They were all standing quietly to observe a 15-minute silence for the people who died during a rail station accident last year.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound was heard across triggering panic and a brief stampede.
Screaming protesters scrambled for cover, leaving the middle of the downtown street almost empty as they fell over each other.
Many people who were victims of the alleged attack complained on social media about strong headaches, nausea and disorientation – all signs of the weapon.
Experts say that sonic canons can emit up to 160 decibels, roughly equivalent to standing next to a rocket launch or a shotgun blast.
Human ears have a pain threshold of 120-130 decibels and anything above that is incredibly painful.
Those exposed to the weapon experience sharp ear pain, disorientation and panic, security experts say. Prolonged exposure can cause eardrum ruptures and irreversible hearing damage.
Calls are now mounting in Serbia for an independent investigation into reports that security forces used the prohibited sonic weapon.
Various human rights groups and opposition officials said they would file charges with international and domestic courts against those who ordered the attack.
allege that such a weapon that emits a targeted beam to temporarily incapacitate people was used at the protest Saturday, even though it is banned in Serbia.
Serbia‘s authoritarian and pro-Russian President Aleksandar Vucic denied that the crowd-control device was deployed, calling it a “wicked lie” aimed at destroying Serbia.
He said he would soon invite the investigations agencies including the FBI and Russia‘s FSB to investigate the claims.
Vucic added: “It is important for history to see how they lied, he said, referring to those who claim the sonic weapon was used.”
Sonic weapons are difficult to trace, as sound leaves no physical evidence, adding to the challenge of holding users accountable.
Serbian officials have indirectly admitted that the police had about two years ago added the crowd control weapon to their arsenal, but insist that it was not used during Saturday’s rally.
Military analyst Aleksandar Radic told local media: “The biggest problem is – who came up with the idea to use such a weapon?
“In a situation when all the protesters were calm when a fifteen-minute silence was going on, the weapon was used.
“The only goal of that act is a brutal display of force, proof of arrogance, and the motive is hatred towards one’s own people.”
The deafening effects of a sonic wepaon
A sonic weapon is a device that uses sound waves to harm, incapacitate, or disperse individuals or groups.
These weapons exploit the properties of sound, such as frequency and intensity, and are often designed to be non-lethal.
However, they can still cause significant physical and psychological harm.
Sonic weapons are used by military and law enforcement agencies for crowd control, deterrence, or psychological warfare.
One example is the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), which emits concentrated sound waves at high decibel levels.
LRADs are frequently deployed to disperse crowds or deter threats, such as pirates at sea.
Sonic weapons can have a range of effects, both physical and psychological.
Physical effects include hearing damage, headaches, dizziness, and nausea, while psychological effects may involve anxiety or fear.
If misused, these devices can cause permanent injuries, such as hearing loss, making their deployment a subject of ethical concern.
Human rights organisations argue that such devices can cause indiscriminate harm and violate individuals’ rights to peaceful assembly.
Sonic weapons are difficult to trace, as sound leaves no physical evidence, adding to the challenge of holding users accountable.
And although Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic has said no sonic canon was used, he has not denied that security forces have one.
One law student named only as Aleksandar told local media: “The President and all the authorities of the Ministry of Interior can say whatever they want.
“They can continue to deceive us, but I think that all of us who were there felt it.
“They were truly scenes of horror.”
Local MP Zdravko Ponos also told Serbian media that a sonic canon had been deployed.
He said: “The reaction of the crowd, that they felt as if something had passed through them, was a consequence of the use of sound, with the aim of scaring them.
“The use of this weapon can also harm health, and the fact that it was used is a complete scandal.”
Protesters burn flares as thousands of people from all over Serbia gather to take part in one of the largest anti-corruption demonstrations[/caption]
Riot police secure the area after the student-led rally on March 15[/caption]
Police officers stand guard, pictured through a broken window of a tractor[/caption]
A wave of resistance
The protest movement formed after 15 people were killed in a railway station roof collapse in the city of Novi Sad in November following massive government-backed renovations on the facility.
The disaster unleashed long-building rage over alleged corruption and lax oversight in construction projects, prompting the resignation of several high-ranking officials, including prime minister Milos Vucevic.
Between 100,000 and 300,000 people are estimated to have taken part on Saturday, in the biggest turn-out yet in the national movement.
For weeks, student-led protesters have crisscrossed the country, holding rallies in Serbia’s major cities.
They have also taken their anti-corruption crusade to the rural areas and small towns that have long been the backbone of Vucic’s support.
“We have gathered in the streets primarily to express our complete dissatisfaction after years of dictatorship, lawlessness, and corruption,” said Ognjen Djordjevic, a 28-year-old resident from Belgrade.
At one point the crowd stretched for nearly two kilometres, with people filling the streets in and around the parliament and the capital’s main pedestrian square.
Following hours of largely peaceful protests, police later reported that there had been some “incidents and clashes among some participants” of the protests.
