Iraq: two European tourists face justice for trafficking in antiquities

The Briton and the German arrested in Iraq for “antiquity trafficking” in Baghdad, Iraq, May 15, 2022. © Hadi Mizban/AP

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This Monday, a Briton and a German will be heard in a Baghdad court.

They were arrested on March 20 in possession of pottery fragments and are accused of looting.

A crime punishable by death in the country.

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With our correspondent in Baghdad,

One of the defendants is a 66-year-old British geologist.

The other, a 60-year-old German psychologist.

The two men did not know each other, they met in Iraq, during this organized trip, where they made the mistake of picking up some stones and fragments of pottery around archaeological sites.

The beginning of a descent into hell, because when they want to leave the country on March 20, customs spot these fragments and arrest the two Europeans.

After three months of incarceration, they should know the judgment of the Iraqi Court on Monday, which can go as far as the death penalty.

Their lawyers, however, are confident and want to plead the good faith of their clients.

They point out that no one had told them that they were forbidden from picking up these objects, and that there was no sign or fence to alert them.

Make an example

But the Iraqi authorities are determined to stop this looting.

They could use this trial as an example to dissuade anyone, especially tourists, who are increasingly numerous in the country, from

, even the smallest ones, which make up the whole cultural identity of the country.

►Also listen: Great report - Antiquities trafficking, everyone's business

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• Iraq

• Archeology

• Justice

• Inheritance