Syrian looted artefacts outlawed by EU

It might be illegal to handle Syrian antiquities, as Arts Council England has warned UK exporters.

According to the new European Union regulations, the exporters are breaking the law by handling looted artefacts: “the import, export or transfer of Syrian cultural property... where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that [objects] have been removed [from the country] illegally” was outlawed.

Being a part of the European sanctions against Syria’s Assad government, this new initiative does not refer to the items exported from Syria before May 2011.

The main purpose of the regulation is to protect items from Syrian museums, archives, libraries and religious institutions.