Legislation Suggested to Stop Trafficking of Cultural Property Originating in Afghanistan and Other Countries
Smithsonian Institution research associate Brian Daniels suggested during a June 23 House hearing that public officials do more to stem the commercial flows of cultural property originating in Afghanistan, Nigeria and South Sudan, after legislation was enacted in May 2016 to prevent trafficking of cultural goods originating in Syria (see 1605090026). Afghanistan, Nigeria and South Sudan all experience looting of antiquities, which have a “potential to enter the flow of commerce,” Daniels said during a House Financial Services Terrorism and Illicit Finance hearing. “I recently returned after a prolonged trip to Europe speaking to law enforcement, and after my conversations in those meetings, I am, at this point, almost more concerned about the nexus between looting and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, than I am about Daesh in Syria and Iraq. But there is no protection, there are no import restrictions for Afghanistan.”
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Law enforcement and subject-matter expert sources have indicated that “at least some” materials from illicit antiquities trade is entering the U.S., “by far the world’s largest market for art, antiques, and antiquities,” according to the written testimony (here) of Alyson Grunder, deputy assistant secretary for policy in the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The May 2016-enacted legislation established the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee, an interagency coordinating committee to prevent illegal looting and trafficking of cultural property. Grunder chairs the panel, which also includes ICE and CBP representatives, she said. The committee will next meet in September, after it met in November, March and June. It has created working groups on technology and on partnerships and public awareness, which each convened in February and May, Grunder said.