US returns 77 looted antiquities to Yemen
Pending their return to Yemen, the works of art will be kept by the Smithsonian Institution, in the United States.
Here, the Smithsonian Institution Asian Art Museum, on December 29, 2021, in Washington.
AP - Alex Brandon
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Yemen has recovered 77 works of art that had been looted from its territory.
A restitution decided by the United States which had seized these works in 2012. But for the time being, the works will remain in the United States.
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For several years, the justice of the State of New York has been working to restore to the injured countries looted works now found in the American metropolis.
From 2020 to 2021, it has returned at least 700 pieces, seized from museums or galleries, to 14 countries.
This return to Yemen of 77 works, including sculpted stone heads and pages from the Koran, is the latest example.
The Yemeni ambassador to the United States expressed "
deep gratitude
" to the American authorities.
But the country, ravaged by a war for more than eight years, is not able to welcome and preserve these pieces.
He therefore entrusted them to the
Smithsonian Institution
, an American institution comprising 20 museums.
A loan for a period of two years which can be renewed at the request of Yemen.
The looting of antique works is a lucrative trade.
In the case of Yemen, while it did not start with the war, the ongoing conflict facilitates this illegal trade.
According to the Yemeni Al-Hudhud Center for Archaeological Studies, more than 4,200 works have been looted since the start of the war.
And according to this report, nearly 60% of them were sold at auction in Europe, the United States and Israel for a value of 12 million dollars.
►Also read: Restitution of works of art: a report that raises a lot of hope in Africa
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