What it is
In the public dispute, the 'sound cannon' means claims about possible use of a sonic weapon, including LRAD, during the large student protest in Belgrade on March 15, 2025. A new procedural branch began on June 19, 2026, when Belgrade's Higher Public Prosecutor's Office said it had asked police to collect information about a possibly pre-arranged simulation of such use.
What happened on March 15
On March 15, 2025, Belgrade hosted the largest protest organized at the students' call. During 15 minutes of silence for the victims of the Novi Sad canopy collapse, a sound was heard in the 11th minute; people in Ulica kralja Milana split apart, panic followed, and many citizens later reported dizziness, nausea, headaches, and tinnitus. The authorities denied device use; it later emerged that police had LRAD 450XL devices, while Aleksandar Vucic cited an FSB report saying LRAD had not been used.
What VJT is checking now
VJT links the new check to materials seized on March 27, 2026, during a search of the Faculty of Philosophy in a pre-investigation into the death of student M. Z. and a pyrotechnics-related fire on March 26 at around 22:40. According to prosecutors, the documents included a record from a January 22, 2025 meeting of Students in Blockade - the Security Umbrella Working Group, mentioning a 'sound cannon,' possible reaction from Brussels, and the Chinese practice of moving off the road when such a device appears.
Police tasks
Prosecutors asked the police anti-terrorism service to identify participants in the January 22, 2025 KRBG meeting and interview them about the adopted proposal, claims that police had a 'sound cannon,' why student stewards removed their vests, and what actions made people flee from the street to the sidewalks on March 15. VJT also wants to establish who organized medical examinations for protest participants and asked the First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office for the file on alleged device use.
Claims and promises
The official and pro-government line speaks of possible simulation of device use, creation of panic, an attempt to provoke unrest, and a threat to the constitutional order; Justice Minister Nenad Vujic said he sees elements of terrorism in those allegations, while adding that prosecutors decide the qualification. Vucic says the authorities did not 'shoot' at citizens, thanks the FSB for its report, and argues the document concerns March 15 rather than Autokomanda on January 27. Novosti and RTS present their reconstruction as exposing a pre-planned version.
Current status
As of June 22, 2026, this is an information-gathering check, not an indictment and not a court-established fact. Legal critics Dragoljub Popovic and Nikola Lakic say they do not see an evidentiary basis for a charge and point to witnesses and medical documentation. Kreni-Promeni recalls 600,000 signatures for an independent inquiry, submissions to UN bodies, and an interim measure by the European Court of Human Rights against using sonic weapons for crowd control while proceedings continue.
Why it matters
For protest participants, witnesses, doctors, journalists, and political actors, the issue is no longer only whether a device was used on March 15. VJT's check may lead to interviews with people who spoke about experiencing an impact, collected medical documentation, or publicly demanded an inquiry. How prosecutors separate checkable facts from political claims will affect trust in the investigation, the right to protest, and citizens' willingness to report possible state violence.
Next open question
The available materials give no formal deadline. The next decision is whether information gathering becomes a criminal case with a concrete qualification, for example under Article 309 of the Criminal Code on calling for violent change of the constitutional order, or remains a check of disputed claims. The separate questions of an independent review of March 15 and responses from international procedures also remain open.