Serbian officials deny illegal sonic weapon attack on peaceful protesters

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian officials denied Sunday that security forces used a military-grade sonic weapon to disperse and scare protesters at a huge anti-government rally in the capital.

Opposition officials and Serbian rights groups claimed the widely banned acoustic weapon that emits a targeted beam to temporarily incapacitate people was used during the protest Saturday. They say they will file charges with the European Court of Human Rights and domestic courts against those who ordered the attack.

Serbia has not denied that it has the acoustic device in its arsenal.

At least 100,000 people descended on Belgrade on Saturday for a mass rally seen as a culmination of monthslong protests against Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.

The rally was part of a nationwide anti-corruption movement that erupted after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north in November, killing 15 people.

Almost daily demonstrations that started in response to the tragedy have shaken Vucic’s decade-long firm grip on power in Serbia where many blame the crash on rampant government corruption, negligence and disrespect of construction safety regulations, demanding accountability for the victims.

Footage from the rally show people standing during 15 minutes of silence for the rail station disaster while suddenly experiencing a whooshing sound that immediately triggered panic and a brief stampede.

An Associated Press photographer at the scene said people started scrambling for cover, leaving the middle of the downtown street almost empty as they started falling over each other.

Those exposed to the weapon experience sharp ear pain, disorientation and panic, military experts say. Prolonged exposure can cause eardrum ruptures and irreversible hearing damage.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, a non-governmental organization, condemned “the unlawful and inhumane deployment of prohibited weapons, such as acoustic devices, against peaceful protesters.”

“This act represents a blatant display of force and an attempt to incite chaos, aiming to delegitimize protests and criminalize peaceful citizens,” the group said.

Serbian police and the defense ministry denied that the illegal weapon was used.

The Serbian president on Sunday urged judicial authorities to respond to the information "that sonic cannons were used during the protests," the state RTS broadcaster reported.

“I am asking … the ministry of justice and the prosecutor’s office to react, either to prosecute those who used it, and we know they didn’t but let’s check," Vucic said. “Let there be a proceeding but then they should also prosecute those who went public with such a notorious lie.”

Belgrade’s emergency hospital has denied reports that many people sought help after the incident and urged legal action against those who “spread untrue information.”

People use the lights on their cell phones as they observe fifteen minutes of silence during a major anti-corruption rally led by university students in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Riot police stand guard on the side of a street during a major anti-corruption rally led by university students in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Police in riot gear walk down a street during a major anti-corruption rally led by university students in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

People welcome protesters from provinces who have arrived ahead of a major rally this weekend in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People welcome a group of cyclists who have arrived ahead of a major rally this weekend in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People hold the lights on their cell phones as they attend a protest ahead of a major anti-corruption rally this weekend, in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Protesters light flares as they gather ahead of a major rally this weekend in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Protesters march during a major rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People use the lights on their cell phones as they observe fifteen minutes of silence during a major anti-corruption rally led by university students in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

PRAGUE (AP) — With Christopher Nolan ’s highly anticipated “The Odyssey” recording impressive sales around the globe, thousands of Europeans have used it as a new and unexpected reason to visit Prague.

The Czech capital has one of the few dozen movie theaters in the world, and three on the European continent, that is equipped with the coveted 70 mm IMAX screen to watch the first feature made entirely with IMAX cameras.

“It completely changed my experience about the movie," said Nicolas Walak from Poland, who also saw the movie before on a normal screen before viewing it in Prague. "Everything was great. It was a great movie.”

There are only 41 IMAX screens worldwide, with most in North America. Montpellier in France and the Belgian capital, Brussels, are the only other two in the European Union countries. Britain has another three.

To meet massive demand, the Czech branch of the Cinema City offers four to five screenings a day, one starting after midnight, and the majority are sold out.

Film fans from about 15 European countries, from Scandinavia to Spain, have been coming to watch “The Odyssey” in Prague, Cinema City said. Their number reached 22,000 by Monday, it said.

The IMAX 70 mm film presentation is Nolan's preferred format. The Oscar-winning filmmaker calls it the “best possible experience.”

Daniel Jung drove with his two teenage sons, Felix and Leo, for three days from Norway through Denmark and Germany "just to see this movie. Tomorrow, we’re going back.”

Leo was in touch with Cinema City by email half a year before the July 16 premiere and followed the cinema operator on Instagram. He managed to book the tickets immediately after they became available.

“We were in the 11th row, right in the middle. We had the very best seats,” Leo said, calling the effort “absolutely worth it.”

“It’s just so big. We come from Norway, the screens we have are much smaller,” he said. “Now, we watched it in this huge format. I will always remember this experience.”

Felix said they had a good time on the way, visiting some places in Germany, but it would be worth it even if they just drove straight there.

Due to the cost and other challenges, productions for the 70 mm IMAX are rare. The IMAX cameras are heavy and new versions with reduced noise had to be developed to be usable for making “The Odyssey.”

The film print sent to theaters is so big — weighing some 300 kilograms (661 pounds) and 18 kilometers (11 miles) long — that it has to be delivered to theaters in parts. The movie and the projector have to be in a climatized room and the projectionists need to be approved by IMAX for the job.

As movie theaters around the globe were acquiring digital IMAX equipment around 2008, the Cinema City decided not to get rid of the original analogue projector in Prague. It was placed in a corner for three years until 2012 to screen Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.”

It was used to show several others, including Nolan's “Interstellar” in 2014 and “Oppenheimer” three years ago.

“We’re really grateful to him for that,” projectionist Tomáš Vyšinský said about his predecessor who saved the equipment.

Michal Slama prepares the 70 mm IMAX copy of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" for screening in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Tomas Vysinsky prepares the 70 mm IMAX copy of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" for screening in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Tomas Vysinsky prepares the 70 mm IMAX copy of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" for screening in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Tomas Vysinsky prepares the 70 mm IMAX copy of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" for screening in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Spectators view the 70 mm Imax copy of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)