THERAN - A prominent legal expert and criminologist has stressed the need for judicial action against those responsible for war crimes committed against Iran’s cultural heritage sites amidst ongoing conflicts.

The expert emphasized the importance of collecting robust evidence to support criminal behavior both in domestic and international courts.

In an interview with ISNA, Vahid Soltani Paji on Thursday condemned the attacks on Iran’s historical landmarks and sites, citing the ongoing military assaults by Israel and the United States. He noted that both domestic and international laws criminalize the destruction of such cultural properties.

Soltani Paji called for formal complaints and criminal charges to be filed against individuals involved in the destruction of historical sites across various provinces of Iran. He stressed that such legal steps are crucial not only for judicial follow-up but also for raising public awareness, clarifying the scope of the crimes committed, and creating deterrent measures at both national and international levels.

The legal expert further referred to the territorial jurisdiction, stating that any individual or group responsible for criminal acts against the nation’s cultural heritage, within Iranian airspace or on its soil, would be prosecuted and punished under domestic law. Moreover, according to articles of Iran’s accession to the 1954 Hague Convention’s Second Protocol (regarding the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict, ratified by Iran’s Parliament in 2001), targeting and destroying protected cultural property is considered a grave violation of the protocol. Under this law, criminal responsibility extends beyond those who directly commit the acts, also applying to those who may have instructed or assisted in the crimes.

Soltani Paji explained that the individuals responsible for issuing orders to attack cultural sites, referred to as instigators, and those who carried out the attacks, identified as perpetrators, as well as participants in the operations, would all be held criminally accountable. Furthermore, those or governments who provided support or resources to the attackers would be considered accomplices in the crimes. He emphasized that these individuals and entities must be pursued, prosecuted, and punished in judicial proceedings.

According to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, since the start of the U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran, approximately 108 historical buildings have been damaged so far. This has led to significant concern regarding further destruction, prompting notifications to international bodies, including UNESCO. The Ministry has called for urgent measures to prevent continued attacks, field assessments of the damage, and revisions of protective laws.

AM