Netflix to make changes to The Devil Next Door after complaints from Polish prime minister
Netflix has confirmed it will be making changes to its The Devil Next Door documentary series following complaints from the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
The show explores the life of a Ukrainian man named John Demjanjuk who was living in Cleveland when he was brought to trial in Israel – and later, Germany – accused of being the infamous Nazi death camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible.
After the series premiered earlier this month, Morawiecki wrote an open letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on his Facebook page and criticised the docuseries' use of historically false maps that place World War II concentration camps within the borders of modern-day Poland.
Related: What The Devil Next Door DOESN'T tell you actually makes the story more extraordinary
"There is no comment or any explanation whatsoever that these sites (on the map) were German-operated," Morawiecki wrote (via The Hollywood Reporter).
"As my country did not even exist at that time as an independent state, and millions of Poles were murdered at these sites, this element of The Devil Next Door is nothing short of rewriting history."
Earlier this week, a Netflix spokesperson confirmed to THR that the company was "urgently looking into the matter", and today (November 14), the streaming service has said it will make changes to the series by adding explanations to the maps used.
"We are hugely proud of The Devil Next Door and stand by its filmmakers, their research and their work," Netflix said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Related: The Devil Next Door is asking the wrong questions
"In order to provide more information to our members about the important issues raised in this documentary and to avoid any misunderstanding, in the coming days we will be adding text to some of the maps featured in the series.
"This will make it clearer that the extermination and concentration camps in Poland were built and operated by the German Nazi regime who invaded the country and occupied it from 1939-1945."
Though Demjanjuk was convicted, he died while his request for an appeal was pending, therefore in German law his presumption of innocence is upheld.
The Devil Next Door is available to stream on Netflix now.
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