Sunday, August 30, 2015

Let Us Not Forget

The Egyptian Military Dictatorship's sentence of three jouralists to jail once again underscores what too often is overlooked in the press.  Cultural heritage bureaucracies of dictatorships like Egypt, Syria and sectarian Iraq are part and parcel of abusive governments that also institute confiscatory laws relating to cultural artifacts.  No wonder even without disruption due to civil conflict (largely of their own making) things are such a mess.
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1 comment:

  1. John HSeptember 2, 2015 at 11:49 AM

    Hello Peter:

    "Cultural heritage bureaucracies of dictatorships like Egypt, Syria and sectarian Iraq are part and parcel of abusive governments that also institute confiscatory laws relating to cultural artifacts." Spot on mate, but yours is a lone voice.

    Unsurprisingly, I haven't heard anything condemnatory from the archaeological world (especially Poland) about this...but then again, from so-called 'Egyptologists' standpoint, what's the fate of three journos when weighed against natural justice and freebie excavation permits? NOT A LOT IT SEEMS!

    The Nuremberg Defense lives! Er...not me pal...I woz under orders....

    Best wishes

    John Howland
    England

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