PROTECTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY UNDER INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW

One means by which states seek to protect both immovable and movable cultural property is through international criminal law. A detailed corpus of war crimes exists to safeguard such property from destruction and plunder in armed conflict. Some acts of this sort, whether in armed conflict or peacetime, will similarly constitute crimes against humanity. So-called 'cultural genocide', however, is not an international crime. The following article elaborates on the relevant rules of customary international law and treaty.