Ban on screening of film 'Srpska: Borba za slobodu' sought

(Patria) - On behalf of genocide researchers and victims and survivors of the Bosnian genocide in the United States and Canada, the International Expert Team of the Institute for Genocide Research Canada expresses its deepest concern and disappointment regarding the decision of Prime Video to allow the screening of the film titled "Srpska: Borba za slobodu."

The film, allegedly labeled as a documentary, is in fact a revisionist propaganda film that denies the genocide and ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs during the aggression in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. Numerous organizations and leaders around the world have condemned the film, and screenings have been canceled in several places across Europe. Over 35,000 individuals have already signed a petition from the Institute from Canada protesting the screenings. We call on you to take immediate action and cancel the screenings on your platform.

Between 1992 and 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, on behalf of the entity of Republika Srpska (RS), carried out 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 captive in death concentration camps the likes of which Europe had not seen since the Holocaust.

In a single incident alone, over 8,000 Bosniak boys and men were killed in and around Srebrenica, widely recognized as one of the worst genocides in modern history. Moreover, millions of individuals were forced to leave their homes as refugees due to deliberate acts of ethnic cleansing committed by Serb forces.

There is no dispute that the RS was founded on ultranationalist ambitions and the ethnic cleansing of non-Serbs. The International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal in The Hague have convicted numerous Bosnian Serb leaders for war crimes. RS leaders to this day deny war crimes and the genocide in Srebrenica, despite the consensus of the international community on this issue, as well as the rulings of international courts and various independent reports.

We wish to emphasize that our concern is not based on a desire to suppress freedom of expression and different perspectives in filmmaking. We firmly believe in the importance of open dialogue and freedom of speech; however, there is a clear line between promoting different viewpoints and supporting content rooted in hatred, denial of genocide or the Holocaust, which is historically unfounded and potentially dangerously harmful.

The film “Srpska: Borba za slobodu” is extremely problematic for several reasons:

Denial of genocide: The film allegedly denies the well-documented Bosnian genocide, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives and immense suffering. Such denial not only disrespects the memory of the victims but also hinders the reconciliation process in the region, Europe, and the world.

Justification of war crimes: By portraying Serbs as victims and justifying the war crimes committed during the aggression against the Republic of 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.

Revision of history: The film manipulates and revises historical, judicial, and scientific facts to support an anti-civilizational narrative, potentially misleading viewers and contributing to a distorted understanding of the aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We strongly appeal to Prime Video to reconsider its decision to screen this film on its platform, as it goes against the principles of responsible film content. Screening such content without proper context or disclaimers can have extremely harmful consequences, including further polarization, the spread of false information, and hate propaganda, it was stated.

At a time when the world strives for truth, reconciliation, and justice, it is essential that media platforms such as Prime Video take their responsibility seriously and avoid promoting content that could contribute to divisions and historical revisionism.

"We also request that you review your rules and guidelines for content approval and, based on them, remove the film 'Srpska: Borba za slobodu' from your platform. We hope that Prime Video will continue to be a platform that values ethical content choices and promotes meaningful discourse. The relativization of genocide has no place on film platforms," the statement reads.