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Home > UNESCO Director-General Calls Destruction of Palmyra's Ancient Temple in Syria a War Crime (August 24, 2015)

UNESCO Director-General Calls Destruction of Palmyra's Ancient Temple in Syria a War Crime (August 24, 2015) [1]

Blog Name: 
International Law in Brief [2]
Author: 
Caitlin Behles

On August 24, 2015, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, condemned the destruction of the ancient temple of Baalshamin in the Syrian site of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  According to a news article [3], Syrian’s head of antiquities stated that Islamic State militants used explosives in the temple on August 23 and that “[t]he cella (inner area of the temple) was destroyed and the columns around collapsed.” The Director-General stated that “[s]uch acts are war crimes and their perpetrators must be accountable for their actions.” According to UNESCO [4], “Baalshamin temple was built nearly 2,000 years ago, and . . . is part of the larger site of Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, famed for its Greco-Roman monumental ruins, repeatedly targeted by [the Islamic State] since May 2015.”  


Source URL: https://www.asil.org/blogs/unesco-director-general-calls-destruction-palmyras-ancient-temple-syria-war-crime-august-24

Links
[1] https://www.asil.org/blogs/unesco-director-general-calls-destruction-palmyras-ancient-temple-syria-war-crime-august-24
[2] https://www.asil.org/blog-name/international-law-brief
[3] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34036644
[4] http://en.unesco.org/news/director-general-irina-bokova-firmly-condemns-destruction-palmyra-s-ancient-temple-baalshamin