Ancient treasures pillaged from conflict zones in the Middle East are being offered for sale on Facebook, researchers say, including items that may have been looted by Islamic State militants. Facebook groups advertising the items grew rapidly during the upheaval of the Arab Spring and the ensuing wars, which created unprecedented opportunities for traffickers, said [...]
Regulation is designed to protect against smuggling and cut off a source of terrorist financing The European Council yesterday adopted new rules to clamp down on the illicit trafficking in cultural goods, including a requirement for import licences on artefacts more than 250 years old. The EU says the regulation is designed to “ensure the [...]
At a special ceremony held at the Embassy of Cyprus in The Hague on 21 January, Walk of Truth Foundation delivered to Cyprus four fragments of frescoes that had been looted after the 1974 Turkish invasion, then illegally traded on the world art market before they were returned by a Canadian art collector several decades [...]
Four fragments of looted frescoes from the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus were handed over to the Republic of Cyprus after they have been recovered by international NGO Walk of Truth. A special event took place on Monday at the Embassy of Cyprus in the Hague and the frescoes were accepted by Transport, Communications and [...]
Press release The Government has today formalised its commitment to protecting cultural property in times of war by ratifying the 1954 Hague Convention and acceding to its two Protocols, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism John Glen has announced. The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed [...]
In August 2015, Islamic State militants dragged an octogenarian, bespectacled man into a public square in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and beheaded him. The crimes for which Khaled al-Asaad paid with his life were listed on a placard that the group bound to his bloodied body, which they hung by the wrists [...]
Culture Crime Watchers Worldwide Embraces Refugees. Migrants and refugees can play an important role in salvaging the heritage of the countries they have been forced to leave. The refugee’s instant concerns are material – food, shelter, clothing. But the loss of home and identity is a great source of suffering in the longer term – [...]
Walk of Truth hosted a round table on“Art trafficking and restitution — Lessons learned from Cyprus and Afghanistan” at the Peace Palace on 16 September 2013. The event featured presentations on the protection of cultural heritage, focusing on art trafficking and looting in Cyprus and Afghanistan.
