Go-Change launches petition for UN investigation into use of sonic cannon

By 11 am Monday, more than 500,000 people from Serbia, the region, and Serbian citizens around the world had signed the petition.

Addressed to UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association Gina Romero, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty, and an OSCE representative, the petition demands an independent investigation, accountability for institutions and individuals involved, as well as the establishment of international guidelines.

The movement said it is seeking “an independent international investigation into the use of a sonic cannon against peaceful protesters in Belgrade on March 15, including the medical, legal, and technical aspects of its impact on health and human rights, the identification and accountability of the institutions and individuals who ordered, enabled, or executed the use of a sonic weapon, and the development of international guidelines to prohibit the use of sonic weapons against civilians in peacetime."

According to the petition, available on the Go-Change website, “peaceful protesters in Belgrade, while paying tribute on Saturday to the victims at the train station in Novi Sad, were targeted with a sonic cannon (LRAD) – a device that, when not used for communication purposes, constitutes a means of coercion with potentially serious health consequences.”

“The LRAD emits extremely loud and potentially harmful waves that can cause permanent hearing damage, disorientation, and other severe health issues. There is a strong indication that demonstrators were subjected to this weapon without warning and without justification,” the petition says.

This act is not only an assault on the right to protest but also a violation of fundamental human rights guaranteed by international conventions.

Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Serbia is a signatory, everyone has an inalienable right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression without fear of repression, the document emphasizes.

As a member of these international institutions and a signatory to international agreements, Serbia is obligated to guarantee its citizens the right to freedom of assembly and expression.

The use of unlawful means against civilians is a serious infringement of the constitutional and internationally recognized rights of citizens, which requires urgent action from international bodies.