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CRIME

Swiss return three confiscated artefacts to Iraq

Switzerland on Friday returned to Iraq three important Mesopotamian objects seized during a criminal procedure, Bern said.

SWITZERLAND-IRAQ-ARCHAEOLOGY-CRIME
This handout photograph released on May 21st, 2024, by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture shows a Neo-Assyrian relief discovered between 1846 and 1847 in the Centre Palace of Nimrud-Kalhu showing the oldest known deportation scene. Photo by: AFP PHOTO / SWISS FEDERAL OFFICE OF CULTURE

During a ceremony at the culture ministry in Bern, Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider handed over a partial statue and two Mesopotamian reliefs to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

The three works, which are 1,700 to 2,800 years old, are “of great significance” to Iraq, the ministry said in a statement.

They were confiscated during a criminal procedure in the Geneva canton last year, it said.

The main person accused in that case was handed a prison sentence for document forgery and for violating the Cultural Property Transfer Act, which bans the transfer of stolen or looted cultural goods, the ministry said.

An additional 43 cultural items had been confiscated by Swiss authorities in the case, it added.

The three objects returned Friday were discovered and documented during official excavations in Iraq in 1846/47, 1959 and 1976. They all originated in Mesopotamia, today’s Iraq.

“They were subsequently removed from Iraq at an unknown date and possibly illegally,” the ministry said.

They include two large Assyrian reliefs from the 8th century BC that were found at the major archaeological site Nimrud-Kalhu.

There was also the fragment of a royal bust, wearing a pleated tunic and a royal mantle adorned with pendants, from the ancient city of Hatra in the second to third centuries AD.

Cultural items from Mesopotamia, known as the cradle of civilisation, are among the most endangered categories of Iraqi cultural goods, the Swiss culture ministry said.

They are particularly affected by illegal excavations, smuggling and illegal trading, leading UNESCO to add three sites in Iraq to its list of World Heritage in Danger, including the Hatra site.

Switzerland and Iraq are parties to a UNESCO convention aimed at protecting cultural heritage by banning and preventing illegal imports, exports and transfers of cultural property.

Friday’s restitution was the fifth from Switzerland to Iraq since 2005 and “by far the most significant”, the ministry said.

While the objects were officially returned to Iraq on Friday, the ministry said they would remain in Switzerland for now to feature in an exceptional exhibit at the ministry through June 7.

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LAUSANNE

American tourist ‘violently attacked’ in Lausanne

A woman visiting from the United States was stabbed during a robbery attempt while sightseeing in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

American tourist 'violently attacked' in Lausanne

The attack occurred at the end of May, but the Swiss media reported it on Tuesday.

The victim, in her 50s, was “violently” attacked by a man with a knife while sightseeing in the Old Town, according to Lausanne’s newspaper 24 Heures. The attempted robbery was confirmed by local police.

The tourist was stabbed in the shoulder as the assailant tried to flee with her bag.

A local shopkeeper said she was “alerted by cries of distress in English” and witnessed the victim “lying on the ground and trying to defend herself against a man who was attacking her. The scene was extremely violent.”

Even though passersby attempted to intercept the attacker, he managed to escape.

He was, however, caught and arrested shortly thereafter. Police said the perpatrator was known for prior criminal acts.

This was the second case of a brutal attack in Switzerland  against a US tourist in a span of several months.

In February, an American woman was raped and beaten in Geneva. 

The suspect in that case lived in France and, according to the Geneva prosecutor’s office, was arrested “outside Switzerland.” 

Does this mean the two cities are unsafe for tourists?

Lausanne police said that no incidents “targeting tourists in particular” have been reported in the Vaud capital.

But reading about these attacks probably doesn’t fill you with confidence regarding your personal security in Switzerland.

Still, you should put these unfortunate incidents in perspective.

That’s because Switzerland consistently ranks among the least risky nations in the world, both in terms of personal safety and overall crime rate.

Not only is crime limited in scope, but other statistics also indicate that, in comparison with other countries, Switzerland is very safe.

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