Due to "copyright" reasons, the U.S. Southern Command has canceled two planned free screenings of the blockbuster movie. However, many are contesting the idea that this decision was based on copyright laws and believe it is based on other reasons.
From Military Times:
After Military Times initially inquired about the film’s scheduled showings, SOUTHCOM nixed the event, explaining in an email to the base that the free screenings were canceled until further notice in order to “prevent the appearance of copyright infringement.” But the emailed missive, obtained by Military Times, added that “the film is currently available to view at local theaters, and personnel and their families who would like to see the film are encouraged to do so.
“The movie’s central theme and its connection to SOUTHCOM’s AOR and our Human Rights Office (HRO) Combatting Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) program are inescapable and will serve to raise awareness of the prevalence of trafficking in human persons and sexual abuse and exploitation within our area of responsibility,” it said.
And SOUTHCOM spokesman Jose Ruiz defended the initial planned screening, telling Military Times that the movie’s central theme of combatting human trafficking in Latin America intertwines with the command’s area of responsibility and its mission, which includes protecting human rights.
“The subject of the movie is something that’s of great concern to the command, in that it follows as part of its mission of countering transnational criminal organizations,” Ruiz said. “Because of the way these transnational criminal organizations exploit migrants — the hopes of migrants — in ways that end up being serious violations to their human rights, and unfortunately in some cases lead to the deaths of the migrants.”
It sounds to me like this is more of a decision based on politics rather than any laws.
This is absolutely bizarre and really makes you question the extreme opposition that "The Sound of Freedom" is facing.
