More than 16 000 cultural artefacts illegally trafficked abroad since 1974
3.3.2020
Question for written answer E-001270/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Demetris Papadakis (S&D)
More than 16 000 Christian icons, mosaics and frescoes dating from the 5th and 6th centuries were stolen at gunpoint and sold abroad in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, according to Mr. Michalis Gavrielides, Head of the Office for Combating Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities of the Cypriot police.
After Cyprus was plundered in 1974, works of Byzantine art were found as far afield as Japan. Illegal trafficking in cultural artefacts is one of the most serious forms of crime facing the world today.
The cultural heritage is not a private matter, it is an issue that should concern us all. In the light of the above, will the Commission say:
- 1.Is it aware of the theft and sale of cultural artefacts in the aftermath of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus?
- 2.What steps will it take to establish uniform legislation and create a mechanism to reclaim and recover stolen property?