Destroying History Is Now Being Charged As A War Crime
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cultural-war-crime_us_57bb2058e4b0b51733a4a34b
An Islamist fighter has pleaded guilty in the Hague for destroying parts of the fabled West African trading city of Timbuktu, in the International Criminal Court’s first case based on the destruction of cultural artifacts.
Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi has admitted today (Aug 22) to razing all but two of the city’s 16 mausoleums as well as a mosque dating back to 1400 during a raid by Islamist radicals in 2012. Ahmad told the tribunal in the Netherlands that he regretted “the damage (his) actions have caused.”
In March, Ahmad was charged for “war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against historic monuments and buildings dedicated to religion,” according to the court. “Deliberate attacks on cultural property have become actual weapons of war,” ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said during proceedings today....
The destruction of cultural heritage can be prosecuted as a war crime under the Rome Statute of 1998 that established the ICC. The court’s recent enforcement of the statute could set a precedent for similar cases like ISIL’s destruction of the ancient city of Palmyra last year. (Because Syria is not a signatory to the statute, the ICC can only investigate under a request from Syria or referral from the UN Security Council).
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