News - Yemen: The General Authority for Antiquities has called on international organizations and INTERPOL to intervene to stop the sale of Yemeni artifacts listed in an auction on liveauctioneers, which are expected to be sold this month.

The Authority urged INTERPOL and international organizations specialized in antiquities to take up their moral and legal responsibilities to stop these crimes, which are not subject to a statute of limitations, and to cooperate in efforts to protect Yemeni heritage as part of the world's cultural heritage.

It is worth noting that international reports last week revealed the involvement of American and European museums in the looting, smuggling, and sale of thousands of Yemeni artifacts.

Yemeni heritage is being systematically plundered and looted by the American-Saudi-Emirati aggression coalition and its tools. Meanwhile, British, French, and American museums have seen a significant increase in the display and marketing of looted Yemeni heritage.

Since the start of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression on Yemen in 2015, rare Yemeni historical artifacts have been subjected to theft, looting, and smuggling abroad.

Reports tracking stolen and smuggled Yemeni artifacts revealed that approximately 4,265 Yemeni archaeological pieces were sold in 16 international auctions in the United States and Europe, hosted by renowned international auction houses specializing in antiquities in six Western countries between 1991 and 2022.

In recent years, Yemeni artifacts sold in international auctions reached 2,610 pieces, including 2,167 in the United States, with a total value exceeding 12 million dollars. Currently, 1,384 smuggled and stolen Yemeni artifacts are displayed in seven international museums.

These actions in the southern occupied provinces constitute war crimes and blatant violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. However, human rights organizations have largely remained silent on these atrocities.