Criminal charges filed against Radić and detention proposed; Prelević: Sound cannon was used

The Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) has filed, at the order of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, criminal charges against military analyst Aleksandar Radić for preparing an act against the constitutional order and security of Serbia and for disclosing secret information, in a case concerning the alleged use of a sound cannon in demonstrations on March 15 last year, it was announced today.

As stated, after a search and expert examination of the suspect's seized mobile phone and other electronic devices, it was determined that there are grounds for suspicion that the suspect committed these criminal offenses.

"Given that the suspect left the territory of Serbia on June 24, 2026, the prosecution proposed to the pre-trial judge of the Higher Court in Belgrade to order his detention because he is a fugitive abroad, as well as to prevent him from repeating the criminal offense in a short period of time, and to order the issuance of an arrest warrant for the suspect," it states.

The prosecution announced that Radić, using contacts with unknown persons in state bodies, collected information classified at various levels of secrecy and thus unauthorizedly came into possession of secret data marked "top secret", "confidential" and "internal".

"There are grounds for suspicion that from March 15, 2025 onwards, AR presented information to the public as facts that was not known and available to him, but rather false claims regarding the alleged use of a 'sound cannon' by state authorities at a protest held on Slavija Square earlier that day, all with the intention of threatening the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Serbia," the prosecution believes.

The statement states that it has been determined that Radić communicated about the event via telephone and phone applications Signal, Viber, instant messenger, Telegram, Facebook and others with a large number of journalists from N1, Radio and Television of Serbia, Beta agency, Nedeljnik newspaper, as well as with certain members of the Serbian Army and members of the Serbian Parliament, and that he conveyed to them his views on whether a sound cannon was used.

Radić previously announced that he had left Serbia after pro-government media published footage of him being followed on the street and in public buildings, and after his underage daughter was also shown in the footage.

Prelević: They would have to invent a new crime: attacking the rating of a great leader

Attorney Božo Prelević, whose law firm represents Radić, stated today that the criminal charges filed against his client represent persecution and retaliation against him and have nothing to do with the charges against him.

"Radić is a journalist who is certified for presence in a number of groups or alliances, including NATO and so on. So, a certified expert analyst-journalist. And as such, he has a significant scope of protection under domestic law, both for information and for sources of information," Prelević told the Danas.rs portal.

As he added, he is the executive director of the Atlantic Alliance and therefore has a significant amount of information that moves within that alliance, which is an international cooperation organization to which Serbia belongs.

"Accordingly, he, as a journalist, did not spread fake news, because if he is spreading fake news, then the European Parliament resolution is also spreading fake news," Prelević said.

The lawyer also claims that a sound cannon was used on March 15th at a student rally in Terazije, against himself, his children, and everyone present.

"I know this very well because I was at a demonstration of such weapons, unlike the prosecutor and police officers who are writing that shameful criminal report," Prelević said.

The lawyer assessed that the entire search of Radić's apartment and the persecution of his daughter had only one purpose, which was for him to leave the country, and for them to then order his detention on an arrest warrant because he was a fugitive.

"We actually see that Radić is under attack here by the military police, the criminal police, and on the orders of the political leadership, because he is presenting facts that are unpleasant for the government, and not because he is presenting information that could attack the constitutional order. He claimed that the sound cannon was used a year and a half ago and I did not see that attack on the constitutional order. After a year and a half, it can be said with certainty that this information was given as accurate for the purpose of informing citizens, and not as an attack on the constitutional order," Prelević stated.

He believes that this is a serious substitution of theses, i.e. an attack on journalists and analysts, with the aim of denying fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, Serbian law and international conventions on timely and truthful information.

"The fact that he is talking to someone to inquire about the possible consequences and types of those weapons has nothing to do with revealing any secrets," Prelević said.

The lawyer also stated that only documents and devices containing information about the sonic cannon could have been seized from Radić.

"They seized all those documents, they have them and they were expertly examined without a single defense attorney, and we don't know what they wrote there, how they conducted the expert examination. So, they conducted the expert examination outside the law. The defendant's defense attorney, which is my law firm, where Stefan Ćorda works, had to be present during the opening of the electronic devices and the expert examination. Therefore, here, the defense of the constitutional order is called upon to be someone who violates the laws and violates the constitutional principles on which every democratic country is based," said Prelević.

Prelević also believes that it is absurd that "the president of all citizens issues an order for someone to shoot at his citizens", and then, when they rebel, he says that they "attacked his constitutional order because they jeopardized his rating".

"They would have to invent a new criminal offense: an attack on the great leader's rating. That is an essential attack on him and on everyone else who thinks differently, but also on all the media outlets that will now be shut down one by one," said Prelević.

He added that he expects all journalistic associations to speak out and condemn the persecution of Radić, because after that, there is no telling who will be next.

NUNS: Criminal charges against Aleksandar Radić a serious pressure on freedom of expression

The criminal charges against military analyst Aleksandar Radić represent another worrying example of pressure on freedom of expression and an attempt to intimidate citizens who publicly express their opinions on issues of great public interest, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) assessed today.

The statement states that "the fact that the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, in its statement on filing the complaint, listed in detail parts of Aleksandar Radić's private communications, including correspondence with journalists, is particularly concerning."

"Aleksandar Radić is a long-time military analyst who is recognized in the public as an expert interlocutor on security and defense issues. Like every citizen of Serbia, he has the right to publicly express his expert opinion, without fear that he will be exposed to repressive measures or that his communication with journalists will be published in official statements by state bodies," the NUNS statement reads.

It is added that the proceedings against Radić followed after the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade announced the collection of information from individuals who spoke publicly about the alleged use of a sound device during a protest on March 15th last year in the Serbian capital.

"In the meantime, interviews have been conducted with several public figures, journalists and media interlocutors, which further deepens the impression that this procedure is creating an atmosphere of pressure towards everyone who speaks publicly about this topic. Such conduct represents a demonstration of force and contributes to the creation of an atmosphere of fear and repression, the aim of which is to deter citizens from freely expressing their opinions, and experts and other interlocutors from participating in public debate on issues of the greatest social importance," the association assessed.

NUNS called on the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, as well as all other competent state bodies, to refrain from publishing communications involving journalists and their interlocutors in the future, except when there is a clear legal basis and undoubted public interest, and, taking into account Serbia's membership in the Council of Europe, to consistently apply standards that require the protection of journalistic sources, materials and communications from arbitrary surveillance, search and seizure.

"At the same time, we call on all competent institutions not to contribute to an atmosphere of intimidation of citizens and the erosion of freedom of expression, as one of the basic values ​​of a democratic society," the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia announced.