Did Serbian authorities use a type of sonic weapon against protesters in Belgrade, causing a man to have a heart attack and later die? Here's what we know: The claim that authorities fired an acoustic weapon during a moment of silence at a huge anti-government rally on March 15, 2025, could not be independently verified. The story will be updated as we learn more.
The claim originated in a video (archived here) posted on TikTok on March 16, 2025. It opened, as translated from Serbian to English by Lead Stories staff:
The man, who suffered a heart attack last night due to the use of a sound cannon, died an hour ago in the Emergency Center.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Mar 17 12:57:03 2025 UTC)
The claim that authorities used a sound cannon or acoustic weapon against protesters could not be independently verified. The LRAD (long-range acoustic device) sonic weapon can cause brain and auditory damage, and its use has been banned in a number of countries. Lead Stories found no images of protesters at the Belgrade rally with bleeding ears or other signs of injury.
Victims
The claim that a man died of a heart attack was refuted by Serbian Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar, who said on March 16, 2025, during a government session. "According to the records of the Clinical Centre, no one has died since yesterday at 11:52," Lončar said during the session, which was also attended by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. Serbian news agency Tanjug and other media outlets also reported Lončar denied the allegations regarding the death of an individual that was allegedly caused by the effects of a sound cannon at a protest in Belgrade.
