Wars expose the struggle to protect cultural heritage and secure accountability

Damage to heritage sites in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and Sudan has renewed questions about enforcing laws protecting cultural property during conflict. A researcher told BBC News that evidence is increasingly available, but jurisdiction and political will remain major obstacles.

The destruction of cultural sites in several current conflicts is renewing debate over whether international law can protect monuments, museums and historic objects, according to BBC News. In Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Culture reported that 148 cultural heritage sites had been damaged or destroyed in the previous month, while six Unesco-protected sites in Odesa were reportedly damaged during intensified Russian aerial attacks.

Ukrainian activist groups have lodged complaints with the International Criminal Court over alleged cultural destruction and looting, but no indictments have been issued in those cases. Bijan Rouhani, a senior researcher at the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project, said satellite imagery, remote sensing and monitoring teams mean that evidence is no longer the main problem. He identified jurisdiction and political will as the principal obstacles.

The report describes comparable losses elsewhere. The Great Omari Mosque in Gaza was largely destroyed in an Israeli strike in 2023; Israel’s military said it had targeted Hamas. In Iran, more than 100 sites were reported damaged during an aerial war involving the United States and Israel, including the Unesco-listed Golestan Palace and Naqsh-e Jahan Square. Fighting in Sudan has also halted preservation work at the Meroe Pyramids, according to a warning from Unesco.

International protections include the 1954 Hague Convention, which requires states to safeguard and respect cultural property during armed conflict. A 1999 Second Protocol strengthened protection for sites of exceptional significance. The International Criminal Court’s remit includes deliberate attacks on religious, artistic, educational and historic buildings when they constitute war crimes.

However, BBC News reported that only one ICC case has successfully been brought over such attacks. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, a jihadist leader in Mali, was convicted of directing the destruction of mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu and sentenced to nine years in prison. Rouhani said stronger backing from major powers and a genuine commitment to enforcement would be needed to prevent recurring damage.