Thirty members of the European Parliament from five political groups asked the European Commission to urgently stop the autocratic persecution in Serbia and protect activists, journalists and students who are exposed to brutal state retaliation for speaking the truth about the use of sonic weapons in March 2025.
“After the student protests held on March 15, 2025 in Belgrade, hundreds of citizens bravely testified that the authorities used acoustic weapons against peaceful demonstrators. Instead of launching an independent investigation into the use of this dangerous equipment, the Serbian authorities and President Vučić launched an Orwellian counter-offensive, absurdly accusing the demonstrators themselves of having used the device,” states the letter published today on IX by the Green MEP Vladimir Too much.
The letter points out that “subsequent judicial and police retaliation against these people does not constitute a legitimate legal proceeding, but a coordinated campaign of intimidation.”
“As observers have rightly warned, the goal of these searches and proceedings is not to find material for criminal prosecution, but to instill fear. The purpose is to send a message to the general public that anyone who raises their voice against injustice and the autocratic regime will suffer the same fate,” it added.
The MEPs point out that the justification for this calculation is based on extremely dubious documentation that no credible domestic institution was ready to sign. Instead, the state relies on a controversial FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) report written in Russian, while the official version of events is full of contradictions.
While the authorities initially claimed that Serbia does not possess a sound cannon at all, the public was able to see its presence on live television, photos confirming that it was placed in front of the National Assembly, as well as to learn that the supposedly non-existent weapon was even illegally tested on animals, contrary to domestic legislation, it added.
The European Union cannot remain a silent observer while a candidate country for EU membership uses fabricated intelligence to terrorize its citizens for speaking the truth. This is a textbook example of the tactics of the autocracy, which tries to crush dissent and resistance through psychological warfare and abuse of the judiciary, pointed out the members of the European Parliament.
“We urgently demand that the European Commission, and especially President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Marta Koss, as well as the head of the EU Delegation in Belgrade Andreas von Beckerath, publicly condemn this harassment, put pressure on the Serbian authorities to immediately drop all accusations against peaceful demonstrators and make it clear that the instrumentalization of fear against civil society is in complete contradiction to European integration”, the signatories emphasized, adding that they expect “immediate and unwavering reaction”; in order to protect the victims of repression and send a clear message to brave citizens who fight for their rights – “democratic Serbia deserves our full support and you are not alone in this fight”. The letter initiated by Vladimir Prebilič (Greens) was signed by MPs from five political groups – ; European People’s Party (EPP), Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Greens, Renew Europe and Left.
Among them are Irena Joveva (Renew Europe), Andreas Schider (S&D), Tonino Picula (S&D), Gordan Bosanac (Greens), Sandro Gozzi (Renew Europe)
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