Laws & Sanctions
Important information to keep mind
Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property
The illegal trade of cultural property is considered a criminal activity at a national and international level, it is ranked as the third global criminal activity after the arms and drug trade.
According to a study conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the estimated financial value of this illegal trade lies between $3.4 billion and $6.3 billion annually worldwide.
This criminal activity causes significant damage to tangible heritage; illicit traffic leads to the irreparable loss of cultural property of great historical and scientific value.
Fighting the illicit trade of cultural property has become a necessity and a challenge that requires a long-term involvement of multiple parties, both at a local and international level. It also requires the development of mechanisms and effective tools to curb this phenomenon.
Important information to keep mind
Protection of Cultural Property
In the context of protecting and preserving cultural property, Algeria has :
- Enacted laws to combat crimes affecting cultural heritage and preserve it by various means at the national level.
- Ratified multiple international agreements with the aim of limiting negative phenomena affecting cultural heritage.
Important information to keep mind
Overview of the Law on Cultural Heritage in Algeria
The law n°98-04 relating to the protection of cultural heritage, defines cultural property and its types, and aims to define protection mechanisms, implemented as preventive measures taken by the competent administrative authorities.
Under this law, specialized units were established to fight any acts of hostility directed against the cultural objects, namely: theft, concealment, or illegal trade of cultural property, conducting illegal archaeological excavations, and not reporting archaeological finds, illegal export of cultural objects outside the national territory, etc.
Important information to keep mind
International Conventions and Bilateral Agreements Ratified by Algeria
Algeria has ratified multiple international conventions on the preservation of cultural property, the fight against trafficking, and the return of the stolen goods to their countries, namely:
- 1949 Geneva Conventions (Protocol I) ratified in 1989
- 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property ratified in 1974
- 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage ratified in 1974
- 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects ratified in 2015
- 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime ratified in 2002
- 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage ratified in 2015
- 2003 UN Convention against Corruption ratified in 2004
- Bilateral agreements with Egypt, Argentina, and the United States.