The Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq as a Violation of Human Rights

This document reports depredations of Daesh in Iraq generally and Mosul specifically, drawing on research performed by the experts of Research, Assessment and Safeguarding of the Heritage of Iraq in Danger (RASHID), an international network. It can be accessed from the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (United Nations Human Rights).

In May 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights initiated a study on the intentional destruction of cultural heritage. RASHID submitted a report to summarize the findings of this study. The revised edition of this document was published in August 2017, which identifies destroyed sites the names of which were unknown at the time of submission of this document. RASHID International v.D. is a worldwide network of archaeologists, cultural heritage experts and like-minded professionals dedicated to safeguarding the cultural heritage of Iraq. Passioned by the history and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamian cultures, these experts believe that knowledge of the past is key to understanding the present. RASHID is registered as a non-profit organization in Germany and in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2019.

Some of the contents of the document are:

• Best practices for preserving cultural heritage
• Case study: Mosul and Nineveh province -- Islamic period heritage
• Intentional destruction of cultural heritage and its impact on human rights