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W&L Law’s Drumbl on Attacking Cultural Sites Law professor Mark Drumbl discussed why bombing cultural sites is considered a war crime.

drumblmark W&L Law’s Drumbl on Attacking Cultural SitesProf. Mark Drumbl

Aljazerra interviewed international law expert and W&L law professor Mark Drumbl for an article explaining why military attacks on cultural sites are considered a crime of war. Drumbl said that President Trump’s recent threat to destroy cultural property  in Iran is “hugely problematic”.

“This is forbidden under various branches of law and amounts to a war crime,” Drumbl explained.

Prohibitions against destroying cultural heritage have existed since the 1907 Hague Convention, which requires parties to an armed conflict to take “all necessary steps” for the protection of “buildings dedicated to religion, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes”.

Read the full article at the Aljazeera website.

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