<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Serbia has not denied that it has the acoustic device in its arsenal.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/court-puts-a-temporary-hold-on-releasing-records-related-to-the-deaths-of-gene-hackman-and-his-wife/86371b7a-7259-49ce-af85-df26e4e20c1c" rel="" target="" title="Court puts a temporary hold on releasing records related to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife"><strong><span>Court puts a temporary hold on releasing records related to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/world-news-serbian-officials-deny-illegal-sonic-weapon-attack-on-peaceful-protesters/e4a188bd-f743-4ba0-b021-54fa343ed9a0" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/europe-another-italian-town-gears-up-to-sell-dollar-homes/7512e783-0706-4048-a17e-1db00e9d51b9" rel="" target="" title="Another Italian town gears up to sell $1 homes"><strong><span>Another Italian town gears up to sell $1 homes</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span> An </span><em><span>Associated Press</span></em><span> 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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/woman-wanted-to-sell-dead-mans-toes-found-in-dog-vomit/24684ed8-6b34-4903-871a-03c906bff57e" rel="" target="" title="Woman planned to sell dead man's toes found in dog vomit, court hears"><strong><span>Woman planned to sell dead man's toes found in dog vomit, court hears</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Serbian police and the defense ministry denied that the illegal weapon was used.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f"><em><strong><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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