A Serbian opposition group is calling for an independent international investigation into the alleged use of a sonic cannon to harass and injure anti-government demonstrators.
The Go-Change group has addressed the petition to the UN, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe. The document demands that institutions and individuals responsible for the device’s use be held accountable, and international guidelines established.
The document demands an inquiry into the “medical, legal, and technical aspects of its impact on health and human rights” regarding the device’s use during the massive protests in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, on March 15.
“The LRAD emits extremely loud and potentially harmful waves that can cause permanent hearing damage, disorientation, and other severe health issues,” Go-Change wrote. “There is a strong indication that demonstrators were subjected to this weapon without warning and without justification.”
By Monday morning, 500,000 petition supporters had signed it, independent Serbian broadcaster N1 reported.
Serbia has been gripped by months of student-led demonstrations following the collapse of a railway station roof in the northern city of Novi Sad in November last year.
Many Serbians attribute the Novi Sad disaster to alleged rampant corruption, which they tie to the decade-long leadership of Vučić and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
The document demands an inquiry into the “medical, legal, and technical aspects of its impact on health and human rights” regarding the device’s use during the massive protests in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, on March 15.
“The LRAD emits extremely loud and potentially harmful waves that can cause permanent hearing damage, disorientation, and other severe health issues,” Go-Change wrote. “There is a strong indication that demonstrators were subjected to this weapon without warning and without justification.”
By Monday morning, 500,000 petition supporters had signed it, independent Serbian broadcaster N1 reported.
‘A means of coercion’
Serbia has been gripped by months of student-led demonstrations following the collapse of a railway station roof in the northern city of Novi Sad in November last year.
Many Serbians attribute the Novi Sad disaster to alleged rampant corruption, which they tie to the decade-long leadership of Vučić and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
They also accuse Vučić and SNS of ties with organized crime, stifling media freedoms, and violence against political opponents. Vučić and his allies deny that.
The students have four demands, including the release of documents related to the railway station disaster, accountability for those responsible and the prosecution of all those involved in the attack on students and professors during the protests.
Over the weekend, the unrest came to a head, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathering in Belgrade. The protest is believed to be the biggest in Serbia’s history.
The petition states that during that demonstration, “peaceful protesters in Belgrade, while paying tribute on Saturday to the victims at the train station in Novi Sad, were targeted with a sonic cannon (LRAD) — a device that, when not used for communication purposes, constitutes a means of coercion with potentially serious health consequences.”
In addition to an investigation by the UN, OSCE and Council of Europe, Go-Change also demanded “the development of international guidelines to prohibit the use of sonic weapons against civilians in peacetime.”
President Aleksandar Vučić denied the device had been used, calling the claims a “vile lie.” He said an investigation would be held but that “those who went public with such a notorious lie” should also be prosecuted, Deutsche Welle reported.
The students have four demands, including the release of documents related to the railway station disaster, accountability for those responsible and the prosecution of all those involved in the attack on students and professors during the protests.
Over the weekend, the unrest came to a head, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathering in Belgrade. The protest is believed to be the biggest in Serbia’s history.
The petition states that during that demonstration, “peaceful protesters in Belgrade, while paying tribute on Saturday to the victims at the train station in Novi Sad, were targeted with a sonic cannon (LRAD) — a device that, when not used for communication purposes, constitutes a means of coercion with potentially serious health consequences.”
In addition to an investigation by the UN, OSCE and Council of Europe, Go-Change also demanded “the development of international guidelines to prohibit the use of sonic weapons against civilians in peacetime.”
President Aleksandar Vučić denied the device had been used, calling the claims a “vile lie.” He said an investigation would be held but that “those who went public with such a notorious lie” should also be prosecuted, Deutsche Welle reported.
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