International Alerts

Alert - 1970 Convention
Last update:19 November 2024

Stolen Artefacts

Haiti

24 June 2024- The Haitian Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN) has alerted UNESCO to the theft of two bronze cannons.

At the end of May 2024, two 18th-century bronze cannons were stolen from the Henry Citadel, part of the National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers in Milot, a World Heritage site since 1982.

Please see : UNESCO calls for the return of two cannons to a World Heritage site in Haiti

 

Chile

June 2022- The Permanent Delegation of Chile alerted UNESCO tha on 5 June 2022, more thant 80 pre-Columbian gold objects were stolen at the Museo Andino in the Buin area of Chile.

May 2017- On 13 March 2017, 14 containers with several boxes of whale fossils were stolen in Chile.

August 2016- The Permanent Delegation of Chile announced the theft of a sword from the National History Museum in Santiago on 3 August 2016.

 

El Salvador

April 2021- The Republic of Salvador has alerted UNESCO about the theft of cultural property;

Mexico

January 2020 - The Permanent Delegation of Mexico alerted UNESCO to the theft of cultural properties. Theft of five cultural properties form the Iglesia Catolica de San Mateo Tlacoxcalco, Puebla, Mexico. The theft took place on 14 January 2020. 

December 2019 - Theft of 36 cultural objects from the Fuerte de Guadalupe Museum, Puebla, Mexico. The theft took place on 27 December 2019. 

 

 

Guatemala

December 2019 - The Illicit Traffic Unit of the Ministry of Culture of Guatemala alerted UNESCO of a number of thefts of cultural property. 

Theft of 23 cultural objects from aq private collection in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala. The theft took place in September 2019. 

May 2015 - on 16 May 2015, an important collection of 300 religious objects were stolen from a private collection in La Antigua, Guatemala. The objects dated back to the XVII, XVIII, XIX and XX centuries, and most of them were made of silver. 

February 2014 - Six important paintings and other objects of religious significance were stolen from El Calvario church in La Antigua, a city in the Sacatepequez region. The paintings originated form the 18th century and were painted by the renowned Guatemalan artist Tomas de Merlo. 

 

Ecuador

The Permanent Delegation of Ecuador alerted UNESCO to the theft of cultural properties. 

September 2019 - Theft of a documentary cultural property from the Archivo Historico Nuclear del Ecuador, Pichincha Province, Quito Canton, on mid-2019.

September 2017 - Theft of 22 archaeological objects from the Jama Municipal Museum, Manabi Province, at the end of July 2017. 

May 2017 - Theft of a cultural object from the Rosario Church, Guano-Chimborazo Canton on 21 May 2016. 

Greece

The Ministry of Culture and Sports of Greece alerted UNESCO of a number of thefts of cultural property.

December 2018 - Theft of two icons from the church of Dormition of the Virgin Mary, municipal district of Exohe, Konista, Ionnina region, Greece. The theft took place in 30 September 2018. 

November 2018 - Theft of a portable icon in wooden substrate that represents Saint Nicholas from the church of Saint Nikolas, Vrontero, Florina, Greece. The theft took place on August 21, 2018. 

Theft of one object from the White Tower Museum, Thessaloniki, Greece. It is one femail statuette probably of Venus from orange-brwon clay. It is assumed the theft occurred between 25 February 2011 and 13 April 2018. Four icons and one ecclesiastical object were lost from the house of Michael Rmbotis (Kalamaria, Thessaloniki, Greece). 

September 2018 - Eleven icons were stolen from the church of the Saint Nicholas, municipal district of Saint Barbara, Konista, Ioannina region (Epirus-North-West Greece). The theft of the icons was found out on 22 Augudy 2018.

October 2017 - Theft of seventeen ancient objects form the private collection of Mrs Bonanou Sofia-Aggeliki, at Halandri, Afrcia. They are thirteen ancient vases and four terracotta statuettes. 

Theft of five silver reliquaries stolen from the Monastery of Presentation of Mary in the temple, at Peristerion, Ioannina region. One ancient object was stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Nemea, Corinthian region. A relief marble slab with the representation of details of the stolen objects.

May 2017 - Theft of sixteen ancient objects from a private collection in Athens, Greece. The exact time of the theft is no known, though it is laten than 2009. 

January 2017 - Twelve icons were stolen from the church of the Saints Apostles at Molyvdoskepastos, Konitsa, Ioa theft of icons took place between 19 and 20 January 2017.

July 2016  - Six ancient coins were stolen from a private house in Kallithea, in the suburbs of Athens. The theft took place on 30 July 2016.

October 2016 - Five  items were stolen from the house of Helen Manolessou in Athens, Greece. The theft took place between 2-8 August 2016. 

August 2016 - Five items were stolen from the house of Hele. Seventeen icons were stolen from the church of Saint Athanassios at Hionades, Konitsa, Ioannina region ( Epirus, North-West Greece). The theft of twelve icons took place on 7 August 2016. The other five icons were, in all probability, stolen on 2 July 2016.

January 2016 - One epitrachelion was stolen from the Arsaniou Monastery in the Municipal unit of Arkadi, Municipality Crete, Greece Greece. The epitrachelion is embroidered with gold wire on a red silk ground. At the end consisted of vegetal motifs and sewn-on appliques (a cross and two pairs of seraphim).

 

Peru

The Ministry of Culture of Peru alerted UNESCO to a number of thefts of cultural property.

June 2017 - Theft of two cultural objects from Saint-James Temple at Choco District, Castilla Province, Arequipa region. 

March 2017 - On 20 March 2017, the General Directorate of Defense of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of Peru announced the theft of one painting from the Parochial Temple of Santiago Apostal, located in the district of Ollantaytambo, Urubamba, Cusco. The theft took place on 27 February 2002. On 15 March 2017, the General Directorate of Defense of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of Peru announced the theft of five paintings from the parochial Temple of Santiago Apostol, located in the district of Ollantaytambo, Urumbamba, Cusco. The theft took from from 1 to 3 Januray 2005.

September 2016 - "Desposorios de la Virgen y San José" stolen from Bethlehem Temple, located in the province and district of Acomayo, Cusco region. The theft took place on 7 September 1997. 

July 2016 - On 15 July 2016, two historic properties of the Guillermo Zegarra Meneses Municipal Historical Museum in the city of Arequipa, were stolen. 

June 2015 - On July 15 2015, thefts of 14 paintings from the San Miguel, Lima, Peru. 

April 2015 - On 10 April 2015, a painting from XVII century was stolen from the  Â«Templo Parroquial San Pedro Apo of Cuzco, Peru.


 

Burkina Faso

May 2017 - Theft of a statue at Pobe Mengao from the National Museum of Burkina Faso. On 28 March 2017, the statue Taaga Bi was stolen at Pobe Mengao.

 

 

 

Bolivia

The Permanent Delegation of Bolivia alerted UNESCO to a number of thefts of cultural property.

September 2015- On 12 September 2015, 6 objects were stolen from the church of Villa Aspiazu in the region of Sud Yungas, the department of La Paz in Bolivia. 
Electronic alert in Spanish published by the Ministry of Culture of Bolivia with a short description and picture of the six missiong artefacts. 

France


The Permanent Delegation of France alerted UNESCO to the theft of cultural property.

August 2015 - Theft of four (4) elements of the mural painting at the old commandary of Molmant, Leffonds, Champagne-Ardenne, France. 

Checklist of actions in the event of cultural theft

Following a theft incident, the first thing to do is call the law-enforcement officials and submit to them any information that they may need. Following the crime-scene procedures, the central or responsible authority should inform the National Bureau of INTERPOL of the theft so that they can register the stolen object(s) on the .

There are several channels for cooperation concerning the return of an object that is illicitly trafficked, such as: administrative/informal assistance, mutual legal assistance, negotiation, Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP), legal action.

The Checklist has been adopted during the Eight Session of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (UNESCO, Paris, 1970) .

The checklist is composed of three parts: Before Theft (Precaution Checklist), After Theft and After Locating the Object (abroad).

Databases

International Organizations Databases

  • UNESCO: 
  • INTERPOL: 
  • UNODC: 
  • ICOM: 

National Databases

  • France: 
  • Germany: 
  • Italy: 
  • Jordan: 
  • Spain:  
  • United States of America: