The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights draws public attention to the fact that one year after the incident that took place on 15 March in Belgrade, the institutions of the Republic of Serbia have shown no intention of conducting an investigation, establishing the facts, or determining responsibility for the violent disruption of a peaceful assembly through the use of some type of sonic device that endangered the safety and health of thousands of citizens.
Since May last year, the First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has been repeating the same information: that statements have been taken from around 170 citizens out of approximately 200 who expressed their willingness to testify; that reports have been obtained from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Security Information Agency, and the Ministry of Health; and that video recordings from security cameras at locations indicated by citizens have been collected. The case has still not been legally classified and remains in the pre-investigation phase.
In August 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime concluded that it had no jurisdiction to act in this case, dismissing without explanation (under the pretext of “strict confidentiality”) several criminal complaints filed on suspicion of the criminal offence of terrorism against the citizens of Serbia, and transferring the matter back to the First Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade. Recent legislative changes that have weakened the prosecution service and the justice system further reduce institutional capacity and independence, creating a real risk that the case will deliberately remain unresolved and that the only official analysis of the events of 15 March presented by the Serbian authorities will be the assessment of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.
Unlike the institutions of the Republic of Serbia, international bodies and organisations are conducting procedures aimed at establishing the circumstances of the incident in which the human rights of several thousand citizens were allegedly violated. In April 2025, the European Court of Human Rights adopted an interim measure ordering Serbia to refrain from using sonic devices for crowd control until further notice. Proceedings are also ongoing before the Court in Strasbourg based on an application filed by citizens who were victims of the 15 March incident.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed readiness for his Office to conduct a fact-finding mission. A thorough investigation has also been requested by the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, while six UN Special Rapporteurs have stated that the information received from the Serbian authorities regarding the 15 March incident raises serious concerns about the full implementation of the Government of Serbia’s obligations to respect and protect the rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens. An urgent investigation has also been requested by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while the European Commission noted in its 2025 report on Serbia that there had been no credible measures by the Serbian authorities to refute the use of a sonic device.
One year after the incident at the largest public gathering in Serbia’s recent history, state institutions are demonstrating a complete lack of willingness to fulfil their duty to their own citizens by taking the necessary steps: conducting an independent, credible and transparent investigation into the events of 15 March 2025, with the participation or assistance of relevant international bodies; publicly answering key questions about what exactly happened, who authorised and used the device and under what circumstances; and taking concrete measures to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Following the protest on 15 March, around 4,000 citizens contacted civil society organisations — the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, CRTA, the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), Civic Initiatives, FemPlatz, and A11 – Initiative for Economic and Social Rights — sharing testimonies about the consequences they experienced, ranging from feelings of panic and fear to physical injuries. More than 3,000 anonymised testimonies are publicly available on the platform zvuk.labs.rs.
You can watch the appearance of Vladica Ilić from the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights on N1 television marking one year since the incident of 15 March in Belgrade and the alleged use of a sonic device.
