September 27, 2023
Amazon Prime Canada
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Public Relations Email: Dan Perlet
amazon-pr@amazon.com
Amazon Prime USA
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Public Relations Email: Dan Perlet
amazon-pr@amazon.com
To Whom It May Concern,
As representatives of the victims and survivors of the Bosnian genocide in the United States and Canada, International Expert Team of the Institute for Research of Genocide Canada is writing to express our deepest concerns and disappointment regarding Prime Video decision to allow the streaming of the film titled “Srpska: The Struggle for Freedom.”
The film, ostensibly labeled as a documentary, is in fact a revisionist propaganda movie that negates the genocide and ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The film has been denounced worldwide by non-profit organizations and community leaders, and screenings of the film has been cancelled at multiple venues throughout Europe. Over 35,000 individuals have already signed a petition protesting the screenings, and we respectfully urge you to take immediate action to condemn and cancel the screenings on your platform.
Between 1992 and 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, in the name of Republika Srpska (RS), committed the largest campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Europe since World War II. Over 100,000 individuals were killed, and countless others were raped, maimed or held prisoner in concentration camps the likes of which Europe had not seen since the Holocaust. In one incident alone, over 8,000 Bosniaks boys and men were slaughtered in and around Srebrenica in what is widely recognized as one of the worst acts of genocide in modern history. Furthermore, millions of individuals were forced to flee their homes as refugees due to the deliberate acts of ethnic cleansing committed by Serb forces. There is no dispute that RS was founded on ultra-nationalistic ambitions and ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs. Indeed, the International Court of Justice in The Hague has convicted numerous Bosnian Serb leaders of war crimes. Moreover, to this day the leaders of RS continue to deny the war crimes and genocide in Srebrenica, despite the international community’s consensus on this issue, as well as international court rulings and various independent reports.
We would like to emphasize that our concerns are not based on a desire to suppress freedom of expression or diverse perspectives in filmmaking. We firmly believe in the importance of open dialogue and the freedom of speech; however, there is a distinct line between promoting differing viewpoints and endorsing content that is rooted in hatred, genocide, or holocaust denial, historically inaccurate, and potentially harmful.
The film Srpska: The Struggle for Freedom is deeply problematic for several reasons:
Genocide Denial: The film reportedly denies the well-documented Bosnian genocide, which resulted in the loss of countless innocent lives and immense suffering. Such denial not only disrespects the memory of the victims but also hinders the process of reconciliation in the Balkans.
War Crimes Justification: By portraying Serbs as victims and justifying war crimes committed during the aggression in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the film perpetuates a false narrative that threatens to undermine international efforts to hold individuals accountable for their actions during the conflict and for peace and reconciliation in the region.
Distortion of History: The film appears to manipulate historical events to fit a particular narrative, potentially misleading viewers and contributing to a distorted understanding of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We strongly urge Prime Video to reconsider its decision to host this film on its platform, as it goes against the principles of responsible content curation. Streaming such content without proper context or disclaimers can have harmful consequences, including further polarization, perpetuating false information, and hateful propaganda.
In a time when the world is striving for truth, reconciliation, and justice, it is essential that media platforms like Prime Video take their responsibility seriously and avoid promoting content that may contribute to division and historical revisionism.
We also request that you review your policies and guidelines for content approval and remove ‘Srpska: The Struggle for Freedom’ from your platform.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We hope that Prime Video will continue to be a platform that values ethical content choices and promotes meaningful discourse.
Genocide relativism has no place on mainstream platforms.
Sincerely,
Dr. Emir Ramic
Director of the Institute for Research of Genocide Canada
