Iraq's looted treasures reached Norway.. Police confiscate 100 antiquities
The pieces date back to the Mesopotamian period. AFP
Norwegian police announced today, Friday, that they have confiscated about 100 antiquities that Iraq is demanding to be returned from the Mesopotamian era, which were held by a collector.
The police said in a statement that the seized items included "what are believed to be tablets with cuneiform writing", which are considered the oldest writing methods in the world, in addition to "other artifacts from what was known as Mesopotamia, that is, Iraq today... which are important to the world's historical cultural heritage." .
The items were confiscated as a result of a search of the home of an antiques collector in southeastern Norway.
The pieces are the subject of a refund request submitted by the Iraqi authorities to the Norwegian Ministry of Culture.
Prosecutor Maria Bash confirmed to AFP that "recovery procedures have been initiated," but indicated that they "require first to assign experts to determine the source of these pieces and confirm that they are original," explaining that "the Iraqi authorities must attach their request with the necessary documents."
It stated that the antiques collector had lodged an objection to the Iraqi request, noting that he was not a suspect and was not arrested.
Antiquities smugglers show great interest in Iraq due to the succession of ancient civilizations on its land, where the Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians left valuable antiquities.
An Iraqi government source revealed that smuggling antiquities generates money for criminal networks in Iraq.
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