Sound researcher Pedro Oliveira, who lives in Berlin, explains to "Deutsche Vele" how sound weapons work, and which ones were potentially used in Serbia
"I have seen and listened to the recordings, I cannot say for sure that an LRAD was used, but I can say that the sound was used as a weapon to cause chaos and panic among the masses."
This is the opinion of Pedro Oliviera, a Brazilian sound researcher working in Berlin, about what happened on the evening of March 15 in the center of Belgrade.
Regardless of what device is used, whether it is sound cannon or other sound device, an expert in "Deutsch Vela" adds that there is cause for concern.
While the Serbian government denies using any weapons, Oliviera says there are many ways in which sonic weapons can be used.
"You have the classic sonic boom or stun grenade, and then there are the sonic booms, which are created when the sound barrier is breached," he explains. "However, the most used is the LRAD, which goes with a warning tone, and it's very painful."
Symptoms recorded by eyewitnesses after being exposed to LRAD, says an expert in acoustics, are nausea, hearing loss, temporary or permanent, rupture of the eardrum, and even miscarriages in pregnant women.
Oliviera explains that certain regimes decide to use this type of weapon precisely because of its identification, as well as specific symptoms in people, because it is difficult to actually determine exactly which device was used, and sometimes it seems that eyewitnesses exaggerate and that there is not enough evidence.
Used in Black Lives Matter protests
Sonic weapons, such as LRADs, are used in America, where they are allowed in specific cases. Oliviera says the device was used in New York at the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020.
The European Union, he adds, is still indecisive and ununited when it comes to the use of this weapon, which was used on the border between Greece and Turkey in 2021. In recent years, it has been used a lot by the Israeli army, which launched LRADs against the Palestinians, as well as in Lebanon, says Oliviera.
The expert adds that LRAD is certainly illegal in Serbia.
What's happening in Serbia?
While Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić denies claims that the police used sound weapons to disperse protesters at a mass rally in Belgrade, footage of the incident is circulating on social media, "Deutsch Vele" broadcasts to viewers.
"Witnesses report that they heard a sudden piercing noise, which caused the masses to flee in panic. Opposition groups and activists claim that it came from a sonic weapon, but Deutsche Welle cannot confirm these claims," this media reports. "There have been months of protests in Serbia, triggered by the collapse of the newly renovated roof of the railway station in Novi Sad last November, when 15 people died. The incident has raised concerns about alleged corruption in the country, with many people blaming the country's government for the collapse."
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