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United States of America vs. Approximately Four Hundred Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient Clay Bullae United States of America UNODC No.: USAx148 Fact Summary On July 5, 2017, The United States of America filed a civil verified complaint in rem and a stipulation of settlement with the Hobby Lobby Corporation, for the forfeiture of hundreds of cuneiform tablets and ancient artefacts originating from the geographical area of modern day Iraq. According to court proceedings, the craft supplier corporation, Hobby Lobby, imported hundreds of cuneiform tablets and clay bullae, into the United States via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. In 2010, Steve Green, the Hobby Lobby corporation president, travelled to the UAE to inspect a shipment of cultural material; and despite warnings from an expert in cultural property that the objects in question were likely from looted archaeological sites in Iraq,executed a contract to purchase 5,548 artefacts for $1.6 million. From 2010 to 2011, dealers in the UAE and Israel shipped parcels of looted cultural material to three different corporate Hobby Lobby addresses in the US. Each shipment of cultural material was sent without the required customs documentation and under shipping labels which falsely declared that the cuneiform tablets and other cultural property were “ceramic tiles,” “ tile samples,” and “hand made [sic] clay tiles (sample) manufactured in Turkey”. In 2011, U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted five of the shipments of illicit cultural material and identified that each lacked accurate CBP documentation and provenance information. In 2017, Hobby Lobby executed a stipulation of settlement with the US government, thereby recognising the company’s unlawful importation of cultural property into the US. The Hobby Lobby Corporation consented to the forfeiture of the Defendants in Rem (Approximately 450 Ancient Cuneiform Tablets and Approximately 3,000 Ancient Clay Bullae),144 cylinder seals, and an additional sum of $3 million, thereby resolving the civil action. Commentary and Significant Features The United States of America vs. Approximately Four Hundred and Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient Clay Bullae demonstrates the importance of export documentation as a tool for law enforcement and customs agents to monitor and prevent the trafficking of cultural property. Article 6, of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, states that the States Parties to this Convention undertake: (a) To introduce an appropriate certificate in which the exporting State would specify that the export of the cultural property in question is authorized. The certificate should accompany all items of cultural property exported in accordance with the regulations; (b) to prohibit the exportation of cultural property from their territory unless accompanied by the above-mentioned export certificate; Following the 1970 UNESCO Convention, there has undoubtedly been an increased effort within signatory nations to screen and monitor the export and import of cultural property worldwide. The United States of America vs. Approximately Four Hundred and Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient Clay Bullae offers an example of how international and national requirements for exportation documentation can be used to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural property. Further, this case also highlights the importance of civil forfeiture as a means of recovering illicitly trafficked cultural material. Given the many difficulties associated with proving criminal intent in antiquities trafficking cases, civil forfeiture may be an important tool to aid law enforcement agents in recovering illicit antiquities that have been trafficked out of source countries. Sentence Date: 2017-07-05 Author: Anya Eber, ECPR SGOC Winterschool 2019

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アメリカ合衆国vs約400の古代楔形錠;約3千（3,000）の古代粘土の噴水アメリカ合衆国UNODC No .: USAx148ファクトサマリー2017年7月5日、アメリカ合衆国は、民事で確認された苦情をレムに提出し、ホビーローとの和解の規定を提出しました。

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United States vs. about 400 ancient cuneiform tablets; about 3,000 (3,000) ancient clay fountains United States UNODC No .: USAx148 Fact Summary Submitted a settlement agreement with Hobby Law.

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米国対約400の古代楔形錠;約3,000（3,000）の古代粘土の噴水アメリカ合衆国UNODC No .: USAx148ファクトサマリー趣味法との和解契約を提出しました。

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United States vs. 400 ancient cuneiform tablets; about 3,000 (3,000) ancient clay fountains United States UNODC No .: USAx148

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米国対400個の古代楔形錠;約3,000（3,000）古代粘土の噴水アメリカ合衆国UNODC No .: USAx148

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United States vs. 400 ancient cuneiform locks; approximately 3,000 (3,000) ancient clay fountains United States UNODC No .: USAx148

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米国対400の古代楔形ロック。約3,000（3,000）古代の粘土の噴水アメリカ合衆国UNODC No .: USAx148

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400 pairs of ancient wedge-shaped rocks. About 3,000 (3,000) ancient clay fountain United States UNODC No .: USAx148

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400組の古代のくさび形の岩。約3,000（3,000）古代粘土の噴水アメリカ合衆国UNODC No .: USAx148

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400 sets of ancient wedge-shaped rocks. About 3,000 (3,000) ancient clay fountain United States UNODC No .: USAx148

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400セットの古代のくさび形の岩。約3,000（3,000）古代粘土の噴水アメリカ合衆国UNODC No .: USAx148

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400 sets of ancient wedge-shaped rocks. About 3,000 (3,000) ancient clay fountain United States UNODC No .: USAx148