EAA applauds the ICC conviction relating to the destruction of World Heritage

In alliance with other international organizations for cultural heritage, the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) expresses its satisfaction with the first investigation and conviction by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague related to the destruction of World Heritage monuments.

The Malian jihadist Ahmad al Faqi al Mahdi was sentenced to nine years in prison for his part in the demolition of nine mausoleums and a part of the Sidi Yahya mosque in Timbuktu, in the North of Mali. Al-Mahdi is the first person convicted in the ICC for such a crime. The EAA hopes that the ICC will investigate more crimes against cultural heritage and Unesco World Heritage sites in particular.