2084-2902 Protection and preservation of cultural heritage during armed conflict: Understanding the accountability of a state under international humanitarian law Ochrona i zachowanie dziedzictwa kulturowego podczas konfliktu zbrojnego – zrozumienie odpowiedzialności państwa na mocy międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego Wani Showkat Ahmad author Vats Saumya author Alliance University Bengaluru Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, School of Law Correspondence to: Showkat Ahmad Wani Correspondence to: Saumya Vats 29 06 2024 Zeszyt 25 2024 209 224 Copyright © 2024 2024 In contemporary armed conflicts, the discourse surrounding regulations pertaining to the safeguarding of cultural property under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) has regained its salience. With the latest advancements in technology and other aspects of warfare, the intricacies associated with the application of legal frameworks in the theatre of war have become increasingly convoluted. Notably, the preservation of cultural property during armed conflict has presented a significant challenge to International Humanitarian Law. Although the United Nations offers a multifaceted prototype for the protection of cultural property held by states, the implementation of these regulations is encumbered by gaps, which impede the complete compliance of the parties involved. This article analyses the legal frameworks pertinent to cultural property, with a particular focus on IHL. Furthermore, it offers several suggestions that can be implemented to preserve cultural property of significance and value, while addressing current lacunae in implementation. 1 Forrest C., “The Doctrine of Military Necessity and the Protection of Cultural Property during Armed Conflict”, California Western International Law Journal 2007, vol. 37 2 Gerstenblith P., “The Obligations Contained in International Treaties of Armed Forces to Protect Cultural Heritage in Times of Armed Conflict”, Archaeology, Cultural Property, and the Military, ed. L. Rush, The Boydell Press, Rochester, NY 2012 3 International Criminal Court Project’s, “The ICC and Cultural Property: Reinforced Legal Enforcement of the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict”, by S.S. Shoamanesh, 22 June 2022, https://www.international-criminal-justice-today.org/arguendo/the-icc-and-cultural-property/ (accessed: 15.03.2022) 4 Jakubowski A., “Individual Responsibility for Deliberate Destruction of Cultural Heritage: Contextualizing the ICC Judgment in the Al-Mahdi Case”, Chinese Journal of International Law 2017, vol. 4, no. 16 5 Jones J., “’I felt like some kind of monster’”, The Guardian, 14.10.2008, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/oct/14/art-socialexclusion (accessed: 10.03.2022) 6 Kastenberg J., “The Legal Regime for Protecting Cultural Property during Armed Conflict”, Air Force Law Review 1997, vol. 42 7 Krishna A., “Root cause of Ukraine-Russia conflict”, The Economic Times, 4.03.2022, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/view-the-root-cause-of-the-ukraine-conflict/articleshow/89807225.cms?from=mdr (accessed: 10.03.2022) 8 Palumbo G., “The State of Iraq’s Cultural Heritage in the Aftermath of the 2003 War”, The Brown Journal of World Affairs 2005, vol. 5, no. 1 9 Ralby I., “Prosecuting cultural property crimes in Iraq”, Georgetown Journal of International Law 2005, vol. 37 10 Shraga D., Ralph Z., “The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia”, European Journal om International Law 1994, vol. 5 11 Van der Auwera S., “International Law and the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict: Actual Problems and Challenges”, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society 2013, vol. 43, no. 4 13 International Declaration concerning the Laws and Customs of War, adopted by the Conference of Brussels on 27 August 1874 14 Laws and Customs of War on Land (29 July 1899) 15 Hague Convention (IV) respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land (18 October 1907) 16 Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, signed at Geneva on 12 August 1949 17 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 14 May 1954 18 The UNESCO Convention concerning the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, adopted by UNESCO in Paris on 16 November 1970 19 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted in Paris on 16 November 1972 20 Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques, opened for signature at Geneva on 18 May 1977 and entered into force on 5 October 1978 21 Additional Protocol II to the 1954 Hague Convention, which entered into force in 1999