Serbia denies using sound cannon during Saturday protest, ready for FBI and FSB investigation

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the Serbian Army and the Military Police Unit "Kobrat" do not have a sound cannon, which some claim was used in Saturday's protest in Belgrade. Meanwhile, outgoing Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said that the executive branch is ready to invite the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) for investigations.

"We are ready to immediately invite the Americans and the Russians ," Vucevic said at a press conference at the Serbian government.

President Vučić warned that the investigation into those who, according to him, have spread lies about this issue will be completed within 48 hours.

"The investigation will be fully completed within 48 hours and then all those responsible for these fabrications and lies will be brought to justice," Vucic said in a video message posted on Instagram.

He claimed that the sonic cannon was not on the road because, as he said, “you can’t not see it, you can’t not hear it.” Vucevic also said that the use of sonic cannons is “fictional history,” adding that no such weapons were used.

Vučić emphasized that some people mistakenly thought that members of the "Cobras" unit, who were on top of the Presidency building, were carrying this weapon, but that in fact, according to him, it was an anti-drone rifle.

The Serbian president also claimed that on the day of the protest, no one complained about poor health or its deterioration, but that "the next day they sent their activists."

He noted that similar stories were also spread during the protests in Ukraine, which led to the overthrow of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

"You remember the accusations that Yanukovych had brought in snipers who were shooting at the people... That's how it started here too," Vucic said.

The European Commission said it has seen reports of the alleged use of sound cannons or similar weapons against peaceful protesters in Serbia and has called on Serbian authorities to fully investigate these allegations, spokesman Guillaume Mercier said.

"We expect a swift, transparent and credible investigation into these allegations and recall that under European Union human rights law, authorities must protect all protest participants from harm and violence ," Mercier said.

He added that the EU is closely monitoring the situation and "the protests in Serbia, where people are demanding the rule of law and strong democratic institutions and accountability."

The EC also confirmed that it expects Vučić to travel to Brussels next week to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Video footage posted on social media shows citizens gathered at Saturday's protest near Slavija Square, who have been protesting for months over the death of 15 people when a concrete shelter collapsed at the Novi Sad train station, leaving after making a noise.

The event caused panic among citizens and at the moment there is no official information on what caused such a reaction of the crowd. The protesting students, who organized the March 15 protest demanding that responsibility for the event in Novi Sad be determined, accused the authorities of using sound cannons while the protesters were observing 15 minutes of silence for the 15 dead.

Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense earlier also denied the use of sound cannons in the March 15 protest. The High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has ordered the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office to open a case and identify the persons who have disseminated information to the public that the emergency center on Saturday received dozens of citizens with concerns that may have been caused by the impact of the so-called sound cannon.

The statement from the Belgrade High Prosecutor's Office said that they reacted after the emergency center of the University Clinical Center of Serbia denied these claims that circulated on social networks.

The non-governmental organization Belgrade Center for Human Rights announced on March 16 that a large number of citizens had approached them reporting that they had felt the effects of the sound cannon during Saturday's protest.

This NGO also said that citizens felt a strong heat wave, a noise and something resembling the sound of a plane or car moving at high speed, and then "like a wind that moved them and knocked them down, as if a missile had passed by."

The opposition Freedom and Justice Party announced on March 17 that it had filed a criminal complaint with the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office against responsible officials appointed by the Serbian Parliament, the Serbian President and the Government, as well as their executioners, for, as they claim, the illegal use of a sound weapon against peaceful citizens during Saturday's protest in Belgrade.

The opposition Democratic Party has also filed a criminal complaint with the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office against unknown persons, suspecting that a "sound cannon" was "activated" during Saturday's student protest, the use of which is not regulated by Serbian law./REL