“Inter Arma Silent Musae”. Destroying Museums, Historical Buildings, and Monuments during the War in the Ukraine as War Crimes within the Meaning of International Law

Dominika Zawacka-Klonowska

Nicolas Copernicus University , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3434-0129

Aleksandra Główczewska

Nicolas Copernicus University , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3898-8822


Abstract

The article summarizes the situation related to the armed conflict in Ukraine in the context of the destruction of monuments and cultural objects as a war crime. The considerations relate to the provisions of international and European law, as well as to the positions developed by international case law. The stands of the international organization and community alongside the bodies of the European Union have been indicated. Poland’s efforts to help Ukrainian monuments are also discussed. Reference is made to the activities of the Polish Support Center for Culture in Ukraine established in Poland, within the structure of the National Heritage Institute and the Committee for Aid to Museums of Ukraine.

Keywords:

international law, museum, destroying monuments, war crime, Hague Convention

Arhirova, Hanna. “‘War Crime:’ Industrial-Scale Destruction of Ukraine Culture.” The Associated Press. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-travel-museums-7431f2190d917f44f76dff39b-4d5df54.

Ba, Oumar. “Contested Meanings: Timbuktu and the prosecution of destruction of cultural heritage as war crimes.” African Studies Review 63, no. 4 (2020): 743–62. https://doi.org/10.1017/asr.2020.16. (Crossref)

Campfens, Evelien, Andrzej Jakubowski, Kristin Hausler, and Elke Selter. “Research for Cult Committee – Protecting Cultural Heritage From Armed Conflicts in Ukraine and Beyond.” European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, Brussels 2023. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/733120/ IPOL_STU(2023)733120_EN.pdf.

Crowe, David. War Crimes, Genocide, and Justice: A Global History. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. (Crossref)

EPP Group. “Destruction of Cultural Heritage Is a War Crime.” Accessed June 17, 2023. https://www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/news/destruction-of-cultural- heritage-is-a-war-crime.

Europa Nostra. “Europa Nostra Strongly Condemns the Ongoing Deliberate Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Ukraine.” May 13, 2022. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://www.europanostra.org/europa-nostra-strongly-condemnsdeliberate-destruction-of-cultural-heritage-in-ukraine/.

Fram, Tetiana. “Cumans Stone Women of IX–XIII Centuries Destroyed Near Izium.” Accessed June 15, 2023. https://gwaramedia.com/en/polovtsianstone-women-destroyed-near-izium/.

Grzywaczewski, Tomasz, dir. Erase the nation. Accessed June 17, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8_uyckc6qE.

https://culturecrimes.mkip.gov.ua/, accessed: 20 May 2023.

https://dokaz.gov.ua/, accessed: 27 May 2023.

https://uaculture.org/culture-loss/, accessed: 27 May 2023.

“ICC Case Information Sheet.” Accessed March 16, 2022. https://www.icc-cpi.int/CaseInformationSheets/al-mahdiEng.pdf.

Koren, Gideon. “Limitations in Enforcement of International Conventions: Implications for Protection of Monuments and Sites.” In Estrategias Relativas Al Patrimonio Cultural Mundial. La Salvaguarda En Un Mundo Globalizado. Principios, Practicas Y Perspectivas. 13th Icomos General Assembly and Scientific Symposium. Actas, 90–3. Comité Nacional Español Del Icomos, 2002. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.icomos.org/madrid2002/actas/90.pdf.

Lessing, Katherine. “Commencement of Cultural Destruction Reparations Orders in Criminal Warfare: Precedence of the ICC Al Faqi Al Mahdi Judgment.” City University of Hong Kong Law Review 6, no. 99 (2017). http:// dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3111924. (Crossref)

Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego. “Komitet Pomocy Muzeom Ukrainy.” Accessed May 19, 2023. https://www.1944.pl/artykul/komitet-pomocy-muzeom- ukrainy,5251.html.

Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego. “Podsumowanie prac Komitetu Pomocy Muzeom Ukrainy w 2022 r.” Accessed May 19, 2023. https://www.1944.pl/artykul/ podsumowanie-prac-komitetu-pomocy-muzeom-ukrainy,5349.html.

Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa. “Centrum Pomocy dla Kultury na Ukrainie.” Accessed May 19, 2023. https://nid.pl/centrum-ukraina/.

Newmark, Brooks. “Crime and Punishment? Financing Ukraine’s Reconstruction with Russian State Assets.” In Designed in Brussels, Made in Ukraine. Future of EU–Ukraine Relations, edited by Maria Alesina, 59–68. Elf Study 5, 2023. https://doi.org/10.53121/ELFTPS5.

Nietopiel, Aleksandra. “Trofea z wojny rosyjsko-ukraińskiej do kupienia w mini--muzeum.” June 6, 2023. Accessed June 28, 2023. https://www.trojmiasto.pl/wiadomosci/Muzeum-Trofeow-Wojennych-otwarto-w-Gdansku-n178866.html.

Ringbeck, Brigitta. “World Heritage and Reconciliation.” In 50 Years World Heritage Convention: Shared Responsibility – Conflict & Reconciliation. Heritage Studies, edited by Marie-Theres Albert, Roland Berneckerm Claire Cave, Anca Claudia Prodan, and Matthias Ripped, 21–30. Cham: Springer Nature, 2022. (Crossref)

Schabas, William. “Al Mahdi Has Been Convicted of a Crime He Did Not Commit.” Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law 49, no. 1 (2017): 75–102. Accessed March 16, 2022. https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol49/iss1/7.

Stanik-Filipowska, Katarzyna. “A Crime against Cultural Heritage in the Aspect of the Intangible Value of a Monument.” Gdańskie Studia Prawnicze 50, no. 2 (2021): 241–46. Accessed June 15, 2023. https://scholar.archive.org/work/grhrk5vl4bchfn2qerie6dzuni/access/wayback/https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/gdanskie_studia_prawnicze/article/download/6066/5311. (Crossref)

“Trial of Karl Lingenfelder.” Accessed June 15, 2023. https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/69fe7b/pdf/.

UNESCO. “Damaged Cultural Sites in Ukraine Verified by UNESCO.” Accessed May 20, 2023. 2023. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-culturalsites-ukraine-verified-unesco?hub=66116.

United Nations. “War Crimes.” Accessed June 15, 2023. https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/war-crimes.shtml.

Vrdoljak, Ana Filipa. “The Criminalisation of The Intentional Destruction Of Cultural Heritage.” Accessed June 17, 2023. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/CulturalRights/DestructionHeritage/NGOS/A.P.Vrdoljak_text1.pdf.

Winchester, Nicole. “Targeting Culture: The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Conflict.” House of Lords. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/targeting-culture-the-destruction-of-cultural-heritage-in-conflict/.

World Bank Group. “Updated Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Needs Assessment.” Accessed May 20, 2023. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/03/23/updated-ukraine-recovery-and-reconstructionneeds-assessment.

Zalasińska, Katarzyna, and Aleksandra Brodowska. “Saving Ukraine’s Culture. Polish Support Center for Culture in Ukraine. Activity Report February 2022 – December (2022).” Accessed May 20, 2023. https://ukraina.nid.pl/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/saving-ukraines-culture-pscreport.pdf.

Download

Published
2023-12-22


Zawacka-Klonowska, D., & Główczewska, A. (2023). “Inter Arma Silent Musae”. Destroying Museums, Historical Buildings, and Monuments during the War in the Ukraine as War Crimes within the Meaning of International Law. Review of European and Comparative Law, (Special Issue), 133–153. https://doi.org/10.31743/recl.16610

Dominika Zawacka-Klonowska  d.z-k@wp.pl
Nicolas Copernicus University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3434-0129
Aleksandra Główczewska 
Nicolas Copernicus University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3898-8822



License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.