State Lawmakers Protests and Demand Answers from UC Officials
BERKELEY, Calif — In an alarming betrayal of its namesake mission, UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center abruptly cancelled the screening of the film “My Sweet Land” scheduled for April 24 — Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day — following direct pressure from the Azerbaijani consulate through a letter sent two days before the slated event.
The film captures the perspective of an 11-year-old Armenian boy in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s 2020 invasion of Artsakh and has been widely screened at American colleges and universities as part of student-led Armenian Genocide commemoration efforts.
In a meeting with Human Rights Center leadership prior to the consulate’s involvement, three Azerbaijani students allegedly described the 2023 ethnic cleansing of Artsakh as a “false” event — a characterization they later reaffirmed in interviews with Azerbaijani state-run media, which also used the same language to deny the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
It is deeply disappointing that the Human Rights Center moved forward with the cancellation despite knowing it was responding to arguments rooted in genocide denial.
In response to the widely condemned decision, the Armenian Students Association said, “The Berkeley Human Rights Center postponed our film screening not only due to potential protest, but because Azerbaijan’s consulate directly pressured Berkeley Law and other cosponsors to cancel or reconsider their association with the event.”
“We cannot set a precedent where external political pressure, especially from a government, dictates what narratives are heard on campus. Cal ASA remains committed to telling the truth about Artsakh and the Armenian Genocide. We urge our university and our peers to reflect on what it means to truly stand for justice. Silence is not neutrality, it is complicity,” the Cal ASA added.
It is work noting that following direct pressure from Azerbaijan, Jordan officially withdrew the submission of “My Sweet Land” as its entry for the 2025 Academy Awards.
“The university’s failure to fully acknowledge what occurred, including documented lobbying efforts by Azerbaijani state actors, raises grave concerns about external interference and the integrity of the decision-making process,” added Melody Seraydarian, a fourth-year student at UC Berkeley and the President of the Armenian Pre-Law Society. She continued
“As a student at UC Berkeley, a public university, it’s deeply disturbing to see foreign political pressure influencing what can and cannot be said on our campus, especially when pertaining to genocide. The Human Rights Center’s vague apology without full transparency is not enough. The Armenian community deserves real answers and accountability,” she added.
The timing of this decision is particularly egregious given the sharp rise in anti-Armenian hate crimes across Northern California. In the wake of Azerbaijan’s 2020 assault on Artsakh, San Francisco’s Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School was targeted by shootings and vandalism, and the Armenian community center adjacent to St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church was completely destroyed in an arson attack.
Adding insult to injury, Azerbaijani state media openly celebrated Berkeley’s cancellation as a political triumph and lauded the Azerbaijani students who campaigned for censorship as “national heroes.”
We stand in solidarity with UC Berkeley’s Armenian students in rightly acknowledging that the Human Rights Center’s indifference about being weaponized by an authoritarian foreign government raises serious concerns about the university’s commitment to truth, integrity, and freedom of expression.
Commenting on the Center’s decision, Khatchig Tazian, Chairman of the ANCA Northern California, said, “frankly, the belligerent behavior of the despotic regime in Azerbaijan is not surprising to Armenians.”
“The ‘Nagorno-Karabakh war’ started in 1988 as a result of pogroms against Armenians in Baku, Sumgait, and Kirovabad. To Armenians, it was always a fight to live freely on our ancestral lands and the rights of the indigenous people to self-determination. But for UC Berkeley to cave in to the demands of such a regime is surprising and shameful,” he added.
The California Armenian Legislative Caucus Foundation on Monday sent a letter condemning this decision dedicated to the Chancellor of the school, the Dean of UC Berkeley Law, and the Board of Regents.
“The justification that the film was “provocative” is deeply problematic. If accepted as a rationale for silencing marginalized communities, it invites a chilling effect on open dialogue, critical reflection, and historical memory—principles that lie at the heart of higher education,” the Legislative Caucus said in its letter, signed by Assemblymembers John Harabedian, Jessica Caloza, Nick Schultz and David Tangipa, as well as State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez.
“It is alarming that representatives of a foreign government, and students funded by a foreign state, reportedly influenced internal campus decisions. This raises urgent concerns about foreign interference and the vulnerability of campus programming to geopolitical agendas,” state lawmakers added.
The Legislative Caucus urged UC Berkeley leaders to:
- Reaffirm its commitment to protecting freedom of expression and academic freedom for all student groups, especially those
- representing historically persecuted communities;
- Clarify the specific reasons for the event’s cancellation, including any involvement from external or non-university actors;
- Provide institutional support to ensure the documentary can be screened without further obstruction;
- Establish clear guidelines to safeguard student programming from foreign state influence or undue political pressure.
Armenian students and members of the community will also be staging a protest on Tuesday, April 29, at 12 p.m. in UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza.
The Armenian-American community demands that UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center, the UC Berkeley School of Law, and the university administration immediately issue a public apology for this insensitive and short-sighted decision.
The community further demands complete transparency on the decision-making process, including the extent to which the Azerbaijani consulate was involved, and insist on a timely rescheduling of “My Sweet Land” with explicit institutional support.
The ANCA has released an Action Alert dedicated to the Berkeley administration with the aforementioned demands, which has received over 1,500 letters of support from members of the community.
Assemblymember Harabedian who chairs the California Armenian Legislative Caucus Foundation, issued a separate statement of rebuke.
“As an Armenian American and Chair of the California Armenian Legislative Caucus Foundation, I find it shameful that University of California, Berkeley is silencing the voices of all Armenians by canceling a student-led screening of My Sweet Land, a documentary on the Armenian Genocide,” said Harabedian.
“This betrayal feels exceptionally poignant given it was cancelled on the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Armenians around the world deserve an apology and a public affirmation that UC Berkeley will right their wrong by showing the film and remembering the 1.5 million lives lost during the Armenian Genocide,” Harabedian added.
Harabedian emphasized that suppressing open dialogue about historical atrocities undercuts UC Berkeley’s long-standing reputation as a champion of free speech and academic freedom.
