International Criminal Court issues ruling in first case of cultural destruction as war crimes

2017-08-31T15:08:00-04:00

The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled on 17 August, that an Islamic extremist caused €2.7m in damages when he destroyed shrines in Timbuktu, Mali, in 2012. This is the first time that the ICC has made a ruling solely on cultural destruction, setting an important precedent. [...] Islamic extremists used pickaxes and bulldozers to destroy nine mausoleums and the centuries-old door of the Sidi Yahya mosque, built during a golden age of Islam [...].

By ruling that "the destruction of the protected buildings has caused the suffering of people throughout Mali and the international community," the International Criminal Court in The Hague acknowledged the demolition of cultural heritage as a war crime — potentially treating recent acts of violence against historic sites in Palmyra and Mosul as such as well.

schmidt hammer lassen-Designed International Criminal Court Breaks Ground in The Hague

2013-04-17T18:47:00-04:00

The groundbreaking ceremony for the first permanent premises of the International Criminal Court [...] took place yesterday, April 16, in The Hague, The Netherlands. The 54,500 sqm / 586,633 sq ft building complex designed by Danish schmidt hammer lassen architects is expected to be completed in the summer of 2015.

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International Criminal Court issues ruling in first case of cultural destruction as war crimes

schmidt hammer lassen-Designed International Criminal Court Breaks Ground in The Hague