Serbia: President Vučić addresses “sound cannon” controversy

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has addressed the controversy surrounding the alleged use of a “sound cannon” during a student protest in Belgrade on March 15, 2025. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade issued a report stating that no such device was used and that the sudden movement of citizens was a “panic chain reaction.” The prosecution further claimed that audio of a “thud” heard in social media videos was a result of post-production editing.

Vučić described the claims of a sound cannon as the “most terrible lie in the last decade,” asserting that the misinformation nearly triggered a civil war. He stated that the state would pursue criminal charges against those responsible for spreading these false reports.

However, the prosecutor's findings have met significant resistance. A group of judges and prosecutors known as “Defense of the Profession” criticized the report, arguing it lacks independent expert forensic evidence and violates the presumption of innocence by citing the National Security Strategy to justify its conclusions. Additionally, civil society organizations, including Građanske Inicijative, have stated that the prosecutor's conclusion does not constitute a legally established truth and that the investigation remains inconclusive regarding the actual cause of the mass panic.