Fighting Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property in South-East Europe

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"This 15 minutes video, realized by the UNESCO Office in Venice, aims at raising public awareness on the fight against the illicit traffic of cultural property in South-East Europe. While all the countries from the region have ratified the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, many archaeological sites, including underwater sites, museums, galleries or places of worship, continue nowadays to be exposed to theft and illicit trade. Mobilizing public opinion, sharing information and good practices through regional and international cooperation, is now of necessity".

A lot here though about "setting wrongs right" by repatriation, while only below the surface was the theme of fighting the wrong itself, which is the no-questions-asked antiquities market and the criminal activities that it shields and feeds from and the attitudes that lay behind and support it. Nice to see some of the cases and things discussed in this blog appearing in the film.

UPDATE Jan 2012:
They seem to have moved the original film. It is currently here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0k5MqzvtZc&feature=player_embedded#!:

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