UN Special Rapporteurs: Communication on the 15 March 2025 Protest in Belgrade

In April 2025, a group of United Nations Special Rapporteurs addressed a formal communication to the Government of Serbia concerning alleged violence, repression, and stigmatization of peaceful protesters during demonstrations held on 15 March 2025 in Belgrade, as well as in the broader context of protests that had been taking place across the country since late 2024. The communication was issued under multiple UN mandates related to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, freedom of expression, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, the right to health, the right to education, and the protection of human rights defenders.

According to the information received by the Special Rapporteurs, the protests were triggered by the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which resulted in multiple deaths and serious injuries and led to widespread public demands for accountability, transparency, and justice. In the months that followed, large-scale and local peaceful protests took place throughout Serbia, including student-led demonstrations, silent commemorations, and blockades. The communication describes repeated incidents of disruption and attacks against protesters, including alleged involvement of individuals linked to the ruling party, as well as arrests, detentions, and stigmatizing public statements by high-ranking officials.

The communication focuses in particular on the events of 15 March 2025, when hundreds of thousands of people reportedly gathered in Belgrade for what was described as the largest protest in Serbia’s history. During a 15-minute silence honoring the victims of the Novi Sad tragedy, protesters reported hearing a loud sound accompanied by air pressure and vibrations, followed by panic, stampede, and injuries. The Special Rapporteurs note allegations that an acoustic or sonic device may have been used to disperse the peaceful assembly, causing physical and psychological harm to participants. They also reference reports of subsequent attacks on protesters, denial of medical care, and actions by prosecutorial authorities targeting individuals who publicly claimed they had been affected by the alleged use of such a device.

They warn that the alleged use of an unregulated sound device, combined with arrests, intimidation, stigmatizing rhetoric, and threats directed at students and protesters, may have a chilling effect on dissent and contribute to an atmosphere of fear. The communication emphasizes that such practices, if confirmed, would raise serious questions regarding Serbia’s compliance with its obligations under international human rights law, including the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and the duty to protect peaceful protesters from harm.

The Special Rapporteurs recall that States have an obligation not only to refrain from unlawfully interfering with peaceful assemblies, but also to facilitate and protect them. They underline that any use of force must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and subject to effective oversight, and that the deployment of experimental or inadequately regulated weapons requires heightened caution and transparency. The communication requests detailed information from the Serbian authorities on the management of the protests, investigations into alleged abuses, the use of force by law enforcement, and measures taken to ensure accountability, reparation, and non-repetition.