Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic said that key evidence was published that the so-called sound cannon was not used at the rally in Belgrade. During that time, he changed his statement several times
Numerous researches and evidence, leaked information in the media from reliable sources of the MUP and opinions of independent foreign experts on the use of sonic weapons - for Police Minister Ivica Dačić, this is not enough evidence.
He stated, through the new statement of the MUP, that he has his own. He offered a statement from the American manufacturer of LRAD "Genasys", from whom the MUP bought the devices in 2021.
Has "Genasys" confirmed the vortex
The American firm said that the video and audio evidence they have "seen and heard so far do not support the use of LRAD during the March 15 incident in Belgrade."
Genasys Responds to Inquiries Regarding March 15th Incident in Belgrade, Serbia
The video and audio evidence we have seen and heard thus far does not support the use of an LRAD during the March 15th incident in Belgrade, Serbia.
On March 17th, CRTA HomeEN – LINE , but…
— Genasys Inc (@genasysinc) March 19, 2025
However, the company also commented on the information about the vortex cannon, which Earshot experts doubt.
"The shots would have to be more than 700 meters away from the fired cannon. At this distance, the burning of the weapon can no longer be heard, only the distinct sound of the whistling waves can be heard, causing mass panic."
All statements by Ivica Dačić
From the statement that Serbia does not have a sonic cannon and that the mention of this device disturbs the public, to the admission that the police still have sonic devices, but that they never took them out of the warehouse, to a new confession - that the device is not in the warehouse, but it was by no means at the protest.
Then it went one step further - we have it, we presented it, he was at the protest.
The chronology of the Ministry of Interior's statements looks very dynamic.
"The MUP has never used, nor does it use, funds that are not provided for by law," they said.
On March 16, Ivica Dacic said something similar again:
"In the avalanche of fake news, I still want to deny all malicious claims and repeat under full moral and criminal responsibility that the police did not use any illegal means during yesterday's gathering."
On March 17, Dacic denied that the MUP owns a sonic cannon - neither the Vortex Ring Gun, nor the Vortex Cannon, nor the LRAD - 1000Xi of American manufacture, but neither a similar weapon of Russian manufacture by the company.
He also said that "according to the statements of all the people who commanded the units" of the police that day, "not a single illegal means was used."
In response to the claim that there are people who came to health care facilities because of ailments, Dacic said that these are political games and that it is up to the health workers to answer what they are talking about.
Asked about the video on which an unidentified sound can be heard and the commotion of protest participants can be seen, Dacic said that the prosecution will determine what happened.
Three days after the protest, on March 18, Dacic repeated as a guest on TV Prva that the police do not have a sound cannon.
"As far as sound is concerned, we only have devices for louder warning announcements. It might be a louder megaphone that is used for voice messages. But nothing was used that day," Dacic said.
Later in the day, a session of the Committee of the Serbian Parliament for Defense and Internal Affairs was held, during which the sound cannon was discussed.
Dacic then said for the first time, in response to a question from opposition MP Miroslav Aleksic, that the MUP still has LRAD 100X. He said the device was acquired in 2021, but the police are not using it.
Towards the end of the day, a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived in which it is said that Dacic asked the FBI for help in an expert analysis in the area of the use of means that emit sound waves, bearing in mind that the Ministry of Internal Affairs faced public and media accusations that its members, during a public meeting held in Belgrade on March 15, used a sound cannon.
On March 19, Dacic once again confirmed to the newspaper Danas that the MUP possesses sonic weapons, but also said that these systems are in warehouses in boxes, that they have not been put into use, nor mounted on any vehicle or system.
Asked why he then stated that the MUP does not possess a sound cannon or any other similar sound weapons, Dacic said that it was a clumsy statement.
"This meant that the MUP did not include this tool in its arsenal of coercive tools," he said.
Asked why the state bought the system in advance, when its use is not allowed, Dacic said that it was a failed investment.
When it turned out that the device did leave the manacin and attended the protest on March 15, he said that the device, which was recorded on a Gendarmerie vehicle, is used to inform citizens at rallies, and that its use as a sound cannon is prohibited.
Members of the police, in the presence of the minister and invited journalists, demonstrated the sound warning from the LRAD device to show that - there are no harmful consequences.
Source: Time/Free Europe
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