Authorities claim students fabricated 'sound cannon' story to destabilize Serbia

Authorities in Serbia, supported by pro-government media, are pushing a narrative that students fabricated a story about a "sound cannon" to create a pretext for protests and undermine the state. During a student rally in Novi Sad, state-aligned media simultaneously broadcast special programs alleging that evidence from student meetings proves the incident was staged. Prosecutors have stated they will pursue those responsible.

This official narrative is being challenged by non-governmental organizations and segments of the public, who view it as another instance of government manipulation. Dragan J. Vučićević, editor of Informer, went as far as to claim that the "sound cannon" story was a "political assassination" of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has initiated an investigation based on meeting minutes from two months prior to the March protest, which reportedly discussed security risks. Raša Nedeljkov, program director of CRTA, criticized this as a "political instrumentalization of the prosecutor's office," warning it could signal increased repression and retaliation against those who reported on the "sound cannon" case.

One prosecutor indicated that organizers, participants, journalists, and even citizens who reported health issues on March 15 could face prosecution. Miodrag Marković from the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office stated that while the identities of those involved are not yet confirmed, a request has been made to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' unit specializing in extremism and terrorism.

Bojan Simišić of the environmental group Eko straža, whose members have written about the alleged sonic weapon, believes the escalating rhetoric aims to portray students and other critics as a "terrorist organization." He suggests this could potentially lead to bans on their participation in future elections. Simišić noted that the government's actions appear to be escalating, possibly with the goal of arrests and repression, or to delegitimize opposition movements.