Forming a Cultural Heritage Crimes Prosecution Team to Hold Antiquities Traffickers Accountable

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Monday, November 21, 2016

Forming a Cultural Heritage Crimes Prosecution Team to Hold Antiquities Traffickers Accountable

If you can imagine a world where police recover stolen cash, illegal drugs, and hijacked autos but let the bank robbers, narcotics dealers, and carjackers go free, then you can understand the unrestrained business of transnational antiquities trafficking.

It’s time for a team of skilled and motivated prosecutors to build solid criminal cases to convict and imprison smugglers, and to send a strong signal that assailing heritage will be met with tough consequences.

Antiquities traffickers are making illegal profits and getting away with crimes like smuggling, receiving stolen property, money laundering, wire fraud, lying on customs forms, and lying to federal agents. While customs officials sometimes seize illegal antiquities—when officers actually find these hard-to-spot imports—traffickers rarely face prosecution. Among the few defendants who have been prosecuted, many have exited the courthouse with minor convictions or light sentences while retaining their cash and criminal networks.

A specialized group of prosecutors should be assembled to hold traffickers accountable. A modest group of four specialized prosecutors should be assigned to form a new Cultural Heritage Crimes (CHC) Section within the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC. The CHC Team would be headed by one prosecutor. Another prosecutor in the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section would be assigned to work with the CHC Section when heritage trafficking cases arise. A third attorney would be assigned to handle cases in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, at the heart of America’s art and antiquities marketplace, while another would pursue forfeitures and repatriations in that office’s Civil Division. All four would be expected to work with each other and with federal, state, county, and local investigators.

Because transnational antiquities trafficking mimics the methods and scope of wildlife trafficking, the objectives and activities of DOJ’s Environmental Crimes Section (ECS) should be mirrored. DOJ explains, “An ECS prosecutor often gets involved early in an investigation, such as when the investigator swears out a search warrant or when a grand jury’s investigative power is needed. Once the necessary evidence is collected, the prosecutor presents the case to the grand jury for indictment. After indictment, the prosecutor guides the case through complex white collar and environmental law issues and prepares it for trial.”

Among the CHC Team’s objectives would be to

  • Seek criminal convictions and meaningful sentences.
  • Press for fair but punitive sentences that deter other would-be smugglers and accomplices.
  • Break down criminal infrastructures by dismantling supply, transportation, conservation, distribution, marketing, legal, accounting, and sales networks.
  • Cultivate intelligence on the operation of the black market.
  • Support federal investigators by reviewing search warrants and coordinating overseas law enforcement resources.
  • Partner with state, county, and local authorities.
  • Provide investigative and legal training.

Implementing this recommendation would more effectively hold antiquities traffickers accountable. To learn more about this proposal, read the policy brief titled “How to End Impunity for Antiquities Traffickers: Assemble a Cultural Heritage Crimes Prosecution Team” at the new Antiquities Coalition Think Tank.

Text and original photos copyrighted by Cultural Heritage Lawyer, a blog commenting on matters of cultural property law, art law, cultural heritage policy, antiquities trafficking, and museum risk management. Blog url: culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of any blog post without the express written consent of CHL is prohibited. CHL is a service of Red Arch Cultural Heritage Law & Policy Research, Inc.

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Repatriating the Past: Filling the Holes in Egypt’s History Left by Looting – Katie A. Paul, The Antiquities Coalition

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 Repatriating the Past: Filling the Holes in Egypt’s History Left by Looting – Katie A. Paul, The Antiquities Coalition

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UPON ENTERING THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM AS TOURISTS SCAN THE CASES OF “WONDERFUL THINGS,” ONE CASE CONTAINING A STUNNING SARCOPHAGUS STANDS OUT. IT’S EYE CATCHING NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BEAUTY OF THE ARTIFACT, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE LABEL DESCRIBING ITS LOCATION SAYS “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” NO, THIS IS NOT A REPRODUCTION—IT’S A STOLEN ANTIQUITY THAT WAS TRAFFICKED OUT OF EGYPT, AND ONE OF THE FEW LOOTED PIECES THAT HAS MADE ITS WAY HOME.

Known as “Shesep-Amun-Tay-Es-Heret,” or simply “the Lady of the House,” this artifact was the highlight of a repatriation ceremony that took place in April 2015 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS ICE) seized the sarcophagus in 2009, not from a shipping container or from the auction block, but from an antiquities dealer’s garage in Brooklyn during the investigation for a case dubbed “Operation Mummy’s Curse.”

Antiquities looting in many places is as old as the antiquities themselves. The ancient Egyptians even designed their tombs to thwart the looters of antiquity. But looting today goes far beyond the pillaging done by tomb raiders in ancient history. After the 2011 Arab Spring, the acceleration of looting in countries across the Middle East and North Africa has skyrocketed to levels previously unseen. In recent years, Egypt has fallen victim to some of the worst industrialized looting occurring in the MENA region, with well-armed gangs composed of dozens of people raiding some of the country’s most precious archaeological sites, including those at the country’s most famous site: the Pyramids of Giza.

Since 2011, Egypt has seen two uprisings, multiple government transitions, ministerial changes, engaged in the fight against a terrorism insurgency, and battled a dwindling economy. Yet, through all of these challenges they have continued—and even escalated—their fight against cultural racketeering. For six years I have followed the ups and downs of Egypt’s government, but have followed the threats to Egypt’s heritage and their efforts to combat them even more closely. And as the nation suffers from a variety of crises—including a dismaying drop in revenue generated by visits to archaeological sites—they push forward to protect the history that has defined their country, and our past, for millennia.

Homeward Bound

Egypt is fighting to get its heritage back. And a wave of returns has begun to swell with the repatriation of artifacts that have been smuggled out of the country both before and after the revolution.

One post-Revolution case in particular that gained international attention was the 2012 seizure of two Egyptian sarcophagi found in a Jerusalem antiquities shop. The items had been looted from Egypt following the security vacuum caused by the Arab Spring. This case didn’t gain attention for the size of the artifacts or the value they could bring to a dealer, but for the lengths that traffickers went to in order to get the objects out of Egypt. The painted wooden sarcophagi, described as “breathtaking” by the Israel Antiquities Authority, had been sawed in half so they could be smuggled in a suitcase. Deliberate damage of an artifact to such an extent is a tactic not often discussed in media when stories of illicit antiquities trafficking emerge.

The objects were returned to Egypt in 2016 by Israeli authorities, just two of several dozen repatriated by Israel since the 2011 revolution. I had the opportunity to speak to the conservators who are beginning the painstaking process of preserving and analyzing these beautiful sarcophagi tucked away in the conservation lab at the Egyptian Museum. The young conservators tasked with helping restore these artifacts were dismayed at the severity of the damage. The looting and trafficking caused irreparable damage along with the loss of vital information that can lend clues as to whom these sarcophagi belonged and from where they came. Months of restoration are now in store for these breathtaking pieces.

But not all of Egypt’s recovered objects are tucked away for restoration. Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has worked tirelessly to repatriate artifacts stolen and trafficked overseas, recovering over 500 artifacts in 2016 alone. In fact, they have repatriated so many artifacts in recent years that in early 2016, the Egyptian Museum hosted an entire exhibition dedicated to repatriated artifacts—the first of its kind in the country.

Egypt’s collection of artifacts that have made their way home continues to grow. On December 1, a ceremony held at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, DC marked the second repatriation of looted artifacts to Egypt from the U.S. in just two years. Since 2007, Egypt has seen dozens of artifacts returned from the United States thanks to the efforts of investigators at DHS ICE. But this repatriation by U.S. authorities was just one of a series of repatriations from around the world so far this month.

Out of Egypt and Onto the Market

Egypt’s fight to protect its heritage both at home and abroad is not one that is only fought on the ground at archaeological sites or by diplomats behind closed doors, but also in the global art and antiquities market.

These artifacts being trafficked out of Egypt to be sold on the international antiquities market are not simply a few coins smuggled in the bags or pockets of individuals (although that happens too). These are large scale items which take immense effort and resources to move under the radar, often making their way through transit countries like IsraelQatar, and the UAE, or to major market regions like the U.S., U.K., and Western Europe.

So how does an artifact on the scale of a sarcophagus make its way from the sands of Egypt to a place like a Brooklyn antiquities dealer’s garage? With a significant amount of effort, resources, and knowledge of trafficking. The “Lady of the House” is but one example of the U.S. market as a harbinger of demand for illicit antiquities. The larger the object, the higher the risks of getting caught, high risks are often only undertaken with the chance for high reward. And with the U.S. now making up 43% of the global art and antiquities market, there is ample opportunity for high rewards for dealers of illicit material in the United States. The “Operation Mummy’s Curse” investigation alone has resulted in $3 million in antiquities seizures thus far.

While the global art and antiquities market has seen ups and downs over the past 5 years, the U.S. share of the global market has remained on a steady incline during that same time (2011 – 29%; 2012 – 33%; 2013- 38%; 2014- 39%; 2015- 43%), even with overall downturn globally. With the U.S. art and antiquities market seeing its biggest share of the market over the past five years, it’s clear that a high demand for art and antiquities remains With the U.S. currently holding the largest share of the global market, collectors and dealers in the U.S. and regions that drive demand must remain vigilant in vetting artifacts from areas in crisis such as Egypt.

As Egypt works to rebuild its devastated tourism industry and reinvigorate its economy, the return of Egypt’s heritage is critical to filling the holes of the country’s storied past that has been the draw for tourists for centuries. With the ramped up efforts to repatriate Egypt’s heritage, we have yet to see what elements of the past the future may hold.

Written by Katie A. Paul, The Antiquities Coalition

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Antiquities Coalition Launches New Think Tank Promoting Innovative Solutions To Combat Cultural Racketeering

 

Antiquities Coalition Launches New Think Tank Promoting Innovative Solutions To Combat Cultural Racketeering

PR Newswire Nov 18, 2016, 12:27 PM

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Antiquities Coalition today launched a Cultural Heritage Think Tank to explore innovative solutions to pressing challenges in cultural heritage, publishing the first in a new series of policy briefs by distinguished specialists from the public and private sectors.

Attorney Ricardo A. St. Hilaire wrote the inaugural paper, “How to End Impunity for Antiquities Traffickers: Assemble a Cultural Heritage Crimes Prosecution Team.” It explores how the Department of Justice (DOJ) can take a leadership role in the global fight against cultural racketeering—the illicit antiquities trade—by appointing designated prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against smugglers, corrupt dealers, and their accomplices. St. Hilaire is an experienced litigator, former chief prosecutor, and former cultural property law professor, who authors the award-winning Cultural Heritage Lawyer Blog.

Cultural racketeering is one of the greatest threats now facing our world heritage. However, its consequences go far beyond preservation, to impact economics, foreign policy, and national security. Experts warn it has become a multi-billion dollar illegal industry that funds armed conflict and violent extremist organizations around the globe. But when compared to similar transnational crimes—from arms running, to drug smuggling, or even the illicit wildlife trade—there is still much we do not know. As the looting and smuggling of ancient treasures increases, especially across the Middle East and North Africa, the demand for strong scholarship is greater than ever.

The Antiquities Coalition’s think tank will meet this need by bringing high-quality, innovative, and results-oriented research to the world’s policymakers. It aims to strengthen public understanding of the threats facing our shared heritage, and more importantly, develop better solutions to protect it. To achieve this goal, the think tank is drawing from a wide range of international experts as authors, from the fields of preservation, business, law, security, and technology.

“With this new think tank, the Antiquities Coalition is providing leading thinkers a platform to promote innovative recommendations to safeguard our cultural heritage,” said Deborah Lehr, the organization’s chair and founder. “We are focused on developing concrete and practical solutions for policy makers that are based on economic, cultural, and political realities.”

The think tank’s first publication, by St. Hilaire, puts forward one such concrete and practical response to a major problem confronting our cultural heritage: the failure of the U.S. criminal justice system to criminally prosecute antiquities looters and smugglers.

In his brief, St. Hilaire notes that in the last decade alone, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recovered and returned more than 7,500 illicit artifacts to thirty countries as part of its fight against cultural racketeering. These restitutions, however, have rarely led to the successful prosecution, conviction, or imprisonment of antiquities traffickers. As a result, known wrongdoers have remained in business, and the American art market’s vulnerability to cultural heritage contraband has persisted. By prioritizing repatriations over indictments, the Federal government’s ‘seize and send’ policy has failed to curb a vast black market industry, which officials say is funding transnational crime, conflict, and terrorism.

“If you can imagine a world where police recover stolen cash, illegal drugs, and hijacked autos but let the bank robbers, narcotics dealers, and carjackers go free, then you can understand the unrestrained business of transnational antiquities trafficking,” said St. Hilaire. “It’s time for a team of skilled and motivated prosecutors to build solid criminal cases to convict and imprison smugglers, corrupt importers, and crooked dealers; to stop ringleaders from continuing to orchestrate looting, distribution, and financial networks, and to send a strong signal that assailing peoples’ heritage will be met with tough consequences.”

St. Hilaire’s brief is available in full on our website. New papers will be released on a regular basis. Future authors include the University of Chicago’s Dr. Lawrence Rothfield, and Oxford University’s Dr. Neil Brodie, among others.

To subscribe to the think tank publications—and to stay informed of the Antiquities Coalition’s other work to fight cultural racketeering—please sign up for our e-newsletter here


About the Antiquities Coalition The Antiquities Coalition unites a diverse group of experts in the fight against cultural racketeering: the illicit trade in antiquities by organized criminals and terrorist organizations. This plunder for profit funds crime and conflict around the world—erasing our past and threatening our future. The Coalition’s innovative and practical solutions tackle crimes against heritage head on, empowering communities and countries in crisis. Learn more at theantiquitiescoalition.org.

Contact: Sonam Deki

press@theantiquitiescoalition.org

202.798.5245 (T), 202.768.9778 (C)

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/antiquities-coalition-launches-new-think-tank-promoting-innovative-solutions-to-combat-cultural-racketeering-300365901.html

SOURCE The Antiquities Coalition

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Antiquities Coalition Launches New Think Tank Promoting Innovative Solutions to Combat Cultural Racketeering

ANTIQUITIES COALITION LAUNCHES NEW THINK TANK PROMOTING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO COMBAT CULTURAL RACKETEERING

Releases First in Series of Policy Briefs. First calls for Department of Justice to Play Leadership Role in this Global Fight

The Antiquities Coalition today launched a Cultural Heritage Think Tank to explore innovative solutions to pressing challenges in cultural heritage, publishing the first in a new series of policy briefs by distinguished specialists from the public and private sectors.

Attorney Ricardo A. St. Hilaire wrote the inaugural paper, “How to End Impunity for Antiquities Traffickers: Assemble a Cultural Heritage Crimes Prosecution Team.” It explores how the Department of Justice (DOJ) can take a leadership role in the global fight against cultural racketeering—the illicit antiquities trade—by appointing designated prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against smugglers, corrupt dealers, and their accomplices. St. Hilaire is an experienced litigator, former chief prosecutor, and cultural property law professor, who authors the award-winning Cultural Heritage Lawyer Blog.

Cultural racketeering is one of the greatest threats now facing our world heritage. However, its consequences go far beyond preservation, to impact economics, foreign policy, and national security. Experts warn it has become a multi-billion dollar illegal industry that funds armed conflict and violent extremist organizations around the globe. But when compared to similar transnational crimes—from arms running, to drug smuggling, or even the illicit wildlife trade—there is still much we do not know. As the looting and smuggling of ancient treasures increases, especially across the Middle East and North Africa, the demand for strong scholarship is greater than ever.

The Antiquities Coalition’s think tank will meet this need by bringing high-quality, innovative, and results-oriented research to the world’s policymakers. It aims to strengthen public understanding of the threats facing our shared heritage, and more importantly, develop better solutions to protect it. To achieve this goal, the think tank is drawing from a wide range of international experts as authors, from the fields of preservation, business, law, security, and technology.

“With this new think tank, the Antiquities Coalition is providing leading thinkers a platform to promote innovative recommendations to safeguard our cultural heritage,” said Deborah Lehr, the organization’s chair and founder. “We are focused on developing concrete and practical solutions for policy makers that are based on economic, cultural, and political realities.”

The think tank’s first publication, by St. Hilaire, puts forward one such concrete and practical response to a major problem confronting our cultural heritage: the failure of the U.S. criminal justice system to criminally prosecute antiquities looters and smugglers.

In his brief, St. Hilaire notes that in the last decade alone, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recovered and returned more than 7,500 illicit artifacts to thirty countries as part of its fight against cultural racketeering. These restitutions, however, have rarely led to the successful prosecution, conviction, or imprisonment of antiquities traffickers. As a result, known wrongdoers have remained in business, and the American art market’s vulnerability to cultural heritage contraband has persisted. By prioritizing repatriations over indictments, the federal government’s ‘seize and send’ policy has failed to curb a vast black market industry, which officials say is funding transnational crime, conflict, and terrorism.

“If you can imagine a world where police recover stolen cash, illegal drugs, and hijacked autos but let the bank robbers, narcotics dealers, and carjackers go free, then you can understand the unrestrained business of transnational antiquities trafficking,” said St. Hilaire. “It’s time for a team of skilled and motivated prosecutors to build solid criminal cases to convict and imprison smugglers, corrupt importers, and crooked dealers; to stop ringleaders from continuing to orchestrate looting, distribution, and financial networks, and to send a strong signal that assailing peoples’ heritage will be met with tough consequences.”

St. Hilaire’s brief is available in full on our website. New papers will be released on a regular basis. Future authors include the University of Chicago’s Dr. Lawrence Rothfield, and Oxford University’s Dr. Neil Brodie, among others.

To subscribe to the think tank publications—and to stay informed of the Antiquities Coalition’s other work to fight cultural racketeering—please sign up for our e-newsletter here.

 

About the Antiquities Coalition The Antiquities Coalition unites a diverse group of experts in the fight against cultural racketeering: the illicit trade in antiquities by organized criminals and terrorist organizations. This plunder for profit funds crime and conflict around the world—erasing our past and threatening our future. The Coalition’s innovative and practical solutions tackle crimes against heritage head on, empowering communities and countries in crisis. Learn more at theantiquitiescoalition.org.

###

Contact: Sonam Deki
press@theantiquitiescoalition.org
202.798.5245 (T), 202.768.9778 (C)

st-hilaire-cover-image

Protecting Cultural Heritage in an Uncertain Time: Members of NYU Washington, Friends of Florence, and the Italian Cultural Institute’s Symposium on Protecting Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage

Protecting Cultural Heritage in an Uncertain Time: Members of NYU Washington, Friends of Florence, and the Italian Cultural Institute’s Symposium on Protecting Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage

by Shannon Keene

img_3987On Wednesday, October 26, leaders from New York University’s Washington campus, Friends of Florence, and the Italian Embassy convened in Washington, DC to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the great flood of Florence. These leaders stressed that although the flood took place fifty years ago, we need to remember that cultural heritage is always under threat.

On November 4, 1966, Florence experienced the largest flood in its history since the mid-1500s. Thousands of books, paintings, and other items were damaged by this flood, along with works by Cimabue, Ghiberti, and other notable Renaissance artists. Students and experts from all over the world came to help restore these paintings and books in hopes that they would be able to revert the pieces to their original form. Unfortunately, some pieces of cultural heritage were destroyed beyond repair. During this symposium, using this experience as an example, speakers emphasized the importance of preparing for not only cultural heritage destruction from terrorist groups, but also the need of preparing in advance to protect antiquities in the case of natural disasters.

The symposium began with a reflection on the vulnerability of cultural heritage by the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella. Nardella is an advocate for Florentine antiquities and calls on us to be more aware of the threats that these antiquities face. He discussed his ongoing campaign, #UnityinDiversity, which is a campaign dedicated to using culture as a vehicle for peace and using cultural heritage to unite the world instead of divide it using social media as a platform for sharing pictures and promoting discussion. It was also the name for the conference that was held in Florence, Italy last year. At this conference, he explained the importance of protecting not only Italy’s cultural heritage, but cultural heritage around the world. Nardella explained, “The most important strategy in protecting our heritage is political and cultural.” He also emphasized that it is the “duty of humanity” to protect our cultural heritage now and in the future. His remarks were inspiring and set the tone for the conference.

This symposium was held to highlight cultural heritage in an uncertain time. Cultural heritage is either being destroyed or looted at an alarming rate, and important pieces of history are becoming lost due to terrorist groups, natural disasters, or lack of preservation and care. Cultural heritage is our only link to humans that came before us. Artifacts and architecture from the ancient Romans, Byzantines, and Mesopotamians (just to name a few) are the targets of many attacks and lootings. The speakers at this symposium wanted to highlight the cultural heritage at risk, what risks are the most threatening, and ways we can prevent these artifacts from being lost, stolen, or destroyed.

The first panel began with an informative presentation by Norbert S. Baer, a physical chemist who also examines the use of technology to predict natural disasters, which can be used to protect cultural heritage before a natural disaster occurs. He was followed by Alda Benjamen, a historian who specializes in cultural heritage documentation and preservation. She discussed the importance of intangible cultural heritage, like language, and how to protect it. Language preservation is pivotal to the protection of cultural heritage because language is often used on ancient pottery and stone to describe life in the past. Finally, Stephanie Hornbeck spoke about her time in Haiti and how building structures to house antiquities and cultural heritage can be beneficial to a community and a people. Cultural heritage defines our current culture, so protecting it is also protecting ourselves and what we hold most valuable.

The second panel featured Khaled Hiatlih, the leader of Institute for Digital Archaeology’s (IDA) on-site reconstruction initiative in Syria, Scott Branting, an archaeologist that specializes in the Near East and geospatial science, and Donald H. Sanders, an archaeologist that specializes in computer graphics and virtual cultural heritage. This panel discussed the technologies that are used to rebuild or restore cultural heritage that has been damaged. Reconstructing damaged cultural heritage is important to our understanding of peoples that lived before us, which gives us insight into our society today. Without reconstructing cultural heritage, a part of our history would be lost.

Finally, the third panel focused on the feasibility, desirability, and ethics of reconstructing cultural properties. The speakers included James Janowski, who discussed the philosophical issues when thinking about restoration. Anna Paolini represented UNESCO and focused on the Arab States of the Gulf and Yemen and discussed architectural restoration. Finally, John Childs discussed the role museums play in restoration and preservation. It is important to analyze the philosophical issues when restoring artifacts and buildings because there is a line between where things can stay authentic and when they are over-restored. Museums also play an important role in protecting cultural heritage because they use cultural heritage to teach the general public about the importance of learning about culture and history.

Although the symposium was held to commemorate the damages and loss of cultural heritage in Florence fifty years ago, it outlined the importance of cultural heritage worldwide and what we can do to save it. All of the speakers present analyzed different types of cultural heritage and how to preserve them using the flood of Florence in 1966 as a wonderful example of what to do in the event of a disaster. The loss of cultural heritage is a loss that all of the humanity suffers from. It is not the job of one, but the job of all to protect, preserve, and safeguard our cultural heritage for generations to come.

The Antiquities Coalition thanks, Shannon Keene, a student at American University and intern at the Antiquities Coalition, for this guest post. 

The Amman #CultureUnderThreat Video Series

Katie A. Paul

The Antiquities Coalition is proud to continue bringing you insights from global leaders in the fight against cultural racketeering with the launch of its Amman installation of the #CultureUnderThreat video series. The series is premiering on our website and YouTube channel.  A new episode will be released each week, featuring comments and analysis from top policymakers and experts.

This video series was filmed during the second annual #CultureUnderThreat Regional Conference on September 8, 2016 hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Antiquities Coalition and Middle East Institute. It highlights the perspectives of government leaders and heritage experts on how to combat looting and protect culture under threat during the current period of crisis faced by many countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

As part of our continuing #CultureUnderThreat campaign, this Ministerial summit brought together ministers from 17 Arab League nations, hosted by Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Judeh. These regional leaders coordinated actions to fight against the security, economic, and cultural crisis now facing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

This conference built upon the first #CultureUnderThreat Conference held in Cairo in May 2015, to explore applicable solutions by bringing together ministers of foreign affairs and antiquities from the Arab League as well as a cross-disciplinary group of international experts.

This diverse group of diplomats and experts provides an opportunity for inside perspectives on some of the most pressing issues to protect cultural heritage during a time of crisis. To help raise awareness and provide insights directly from these leaders and experts we are launching this Amman #CultureUnderThreat video series.

To subscribe  — and keep informed of the Antiquities Coalition’s work to fight cultural racketeering — sign up for our e-newsletter here.

How Daesh Turns Illicit Digs Into Dollars

Katie A. Paul

On May 16, 2015, US Special Forces raided the compound of Abu Sayyaf, a leader of Daesh (commonly known as ISIS), uncovering a stockpile of documents illustrating the violent extremist network’s exploitation of illicit antiquities trafficking as a source of funding. According to the State Department, “Receipts for more than $265,000 in khums tax suggest total sales transactions worth more than $1.25 million.”

With over one million dollars in receipts from looted antiquities in such a short span of time—or $5 million annualized—it is critical to understand how Daesh turns illicit digs into dollars. Understanding the development of this activity can help in the fight to combat looting as a source of terrorist financing.

Receipts, documents, and taxation revealed that the looting by Daesh is more than just digging, it’s an administrative process. The terrorist group has created its own department of antiquities within the Diwan Al Rikaz (Office of Resources). One cannot simply dig in Daesh territory, permits must be acquired from the terror group and paid for—that means that even if no artifacts are found, Daesh has already made their first round of money by way of permit fees.

Once the artifacts are found, the looters are given two opportunities—each spanning several weeks—to sell the artifacts. During any of these sales Daesh gains a portion of the proceeds. If the artifacts fail to sell they are reclaimed by the Department of Antiquities who seeks a buyer, and if no buyer is found they are finally handed over to the Diwan Al Rikaz and sold at a Daesh auction.

The Antiquities Coalition is working with groups like The Day After Heritage Protection Initiative (TDA HPI) and their teams on the ground in Syria to illustrate the highly organized process. The infographic More Than Just Digging: Daesh Antiquities Trafficking an Institutionalized Process helps provide a better understanding of the methods behind trafficking patterns under Daesh and similar criminal networks and terrorist groups.

Art and Cultural Heritage Crime Symposium

NYU logo

Art and Cultural Heritage Crime Symposium

The art world’s unregulated transactions and lack of transparency, combined with political instability and skyrocketing demand from the art market, continues to fuel art crime. Efforts to abate the increasing trend of trafficking in stolen, looted, and fraudulent art challenges not only the legal system, but artist’s legacies and our cultural heritage. Organized by cofounders Jane C.H. Jacob of Art Vérité, Alice Farren-Bradley of the Museum Security Network, and Christopher A. Marinello of Art Recovery Group, this year’s Art and Cultural Heritage Crime Symposium will examine topics that include “Behind the Scenes: What the Panama Papers Mean for the Art World,” “The Cautionary Tale of Knoedler & Co.,” “Tracing the Provenance of Stolen Art,” “The Many Faces of Art Fraud,” “The Sound of Silence: Musical Instrument Theft and Fraud,” “Architecture to Artifact,” “A New Phase in Modigliani Studies,” “Sacrificing the Sacred to Conquer a Nation,” “Protecting Cultural Heritage Through Technology,” and “The Forger’s Apprentice,” among others. Each day will end with a panel discussion covering recent initiatives and possible solutions, led by the symposium organizers.

Speakers include leading authorities from the FBI; specialists from AXA Art Corporation, AIG, and auction houses such as Christie’s and Tarisio; and national and international attorneys from Greenberg Traurig, Herrick Feinstein, Grossman, Davis Wright Tremaine, Clarick Gueron Reisbaum, Pryor Cashman, AG International Law, Lanter Attorneys-at-Law Zurich, and Irell & Manella; world-class scholars from the University of California, Berkeley, Shawnee State University, ASOR at Boston University, Chapman University, Stanford Law School, CUNY, UCLA School of Law, and Columbia University; and curatorial and conservation experts from The Modigliani Project, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Orion Analytical, and Art Conservation Group.

CLE units and financial aid are available for those who qualify. Attorneys attending the symposium can earn 16 CLEs in Professional Practice: 6.5 CLEs (November 1), 6.5 CLEs (November 2), and 3.0 CLEs (November 3). CLEs are transitional.

*The full symposium discount rate is only available to NYU students, alumni, faculty, and adjunct faculty, as well as to NYSBA members.

Symposium Information

Dates: November 1–3, 2016

Time: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Registration Fees:

Full Symposium: $875 | Single Day: $325

NYU Students, Alumni, and Faculty and NYSBA Members*: $825

Lunch Registration: $25 per day

Location:

Woolworth Building, 15 Barclay Street, New York, NY

Register Now

Please Note: This symposium, when attended in its entirety, counts as a 10-session elective for NYUSPS students previously registered for art-related certificate programs. For additional information on the symposium, please call 212-998-7289 or email sps.libarts@nyu.edu.

PDF of article here

Brussels Linked to Illicit Antiquities Trade which Funds Terrorism

Brussels Linked to Illicit Antiquities Trade which Funds Terrorism

In an oped published by the Wall Street Journal in August, the Antiquities Coalition warned that Belgium was poorly prepared to combat the illicit trade in antiquities from Iraq and Syria, and this traffic could provide an easy source of revenue for the country’s terrorist networks.

These concerns have now proved warranted.

In an exclusive article published after an extensive investigation, the French-language weekly Paris Match has exposed clear links between cultural racketeering and terrorist financing in Belgium—including the violent extremist network responsible for the deadly Brussels attacks on 22 March 2016.

The expose confirmed that a member of this terrorist network has been directly and recently involved in the illicit art and antiquities trade. While this individual is not identified by Paris Match, subsequent reports by RTBF name him as Khalid El Bakraoui, the suicide bomber at the Maalbeek metro station. Paris Match also claims that Salah Abdelslam—who was involved in the 13 November 2015 Paris bombings, and later captured during a police raid in the Molenbeek area of Brussels earlier this year—has ties to cultural racketeers. It is not yet known whether antiquities directly funded the Brussels or Paris attacks, or whether these terrorists were trafficking pieces looted by Daesh, questions that will hopefully be answered soon. Sadly, there is a high likelihood that it will be confirmed that the sale of antiquities has been funding terrorism.

The Paris Match report does reveal that illicit antiquities from Daesh-occupied areas are being smuggled into Europe, and specifically surfacing in Belgium. In January of this year, Belgian customs agents seized illicit Syrian antiquities en route to a prominent Geneva-based gallery, Phoenix Ancient Art (which has a sister gallery in New York City). These pieces were from the ancient site of Mari, which has been under Daesh control since June 2014, giving law enforcement reason to believe that Daesh profited from their looting and trafficking. Representatives of the Phoenix gallery deny any wrongdoing, but this is not the first time it has been tied to the illicit trade. The Lebanese brothers who own it, Ali and Hicham Aboutaam, have been convicted of related crimes in the past.

In light of these developments, and the real possibility that cultural racketeering is funding violent extremism, both Paris Match and RTBF joined the Antiquities Coalition in denouncing the Belgium government’s decision to disband its internationally renowned art squad earlier this year.

We call again on Belgium to follow its EU partners—including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and UK—in cracking down on the illicit antiquities trade by strengthening its law and law enforcement.  As we wrote in August, the EU capital should be setting the standard for the continent, not lagging behind.

“If the Belgian government fails to take action, much more than cultural heritage will be at stake.”

PDF of article here