Berkeley, CA — University of California at Berkeley is under fire after an abrupt cancellation of a student-sponsored screening of a documentary that aimed to spotlight the stories of Armenian survivors and displaced civilians from the 2023 Artsakh conflict.
According to a statement from the Berkeley Armenian Students Association (Cal ASA), the event—planned in collaboration with Berkeley Law—was called off following direct contact from the Consulate of Azerbaijan. The group accuses the university of yielding to foreign political pressure and engaging in what they call an act of censorship, especially painful given the screening was set for April 24th, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
We reached out to UC Berkeley for comment on whether the university had been contacted by representatives of the Azerbaijani government regarding the event. In response, the university did not directly address the alleged foreign interference. Instead, they attributed the cancellation to logistical issues.
The Human Rights Center postponed the planned screening and discussion of My Sweet Land due to limited staff capacity and the need to ensure appropriate support for public events. This decision was not related to the event, the film, or its content and viewpoint. The postponement was necessary due to logistical constraints, staff availability, and the need to comply with important policies governing the use of law school spaces.
But the Armenian Students Association says the university’s explanation does not hold up. “Let us be unequivocal: this was not a matter of safety. This was a matter of censorship,” Cal ASA wrote in a statement.
Online news publication Zartonk Media published the email that appears to confirm what the Armenian Students Association had alleged from the start: that the Consulate of Azerbaijan did reach out to several UC Berkeley departments, urging them to cancel the My Sweet Land screening.
Dated April 22, 2025, just two days before the event, the email was sent by the Consul of the Consulate General of Azerbaijan. In the email, the consulate expresses concern over the documentary’s content, accusing the film of promoting a “radical ideological stance.”
Most notably, the email ends with a direct request: “We respectfully urge you to cancel the event or reconsider your institution’s association with this event.” The full email can be read on the Zartonk Media instagram page.
