Deny ISIS Funding & Save Syria’s Antiquities
The Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act
(H.R. 1493)
ISIS Profits from Destroying World History
* ISIS earns tens of millions annually from looting and trafficking antiquities to fund terror.
* A UN Security Council resolution passed in February calls on all nations to help defund ISIS by preventing trade in Syrian antiquities.
* America’s allies have already imposed import restrictions on trafficked Syrian and Iraqi artifacts.
* Congress established similar restrictions for Iraqi artifacts in 2004 but has yet to act for Syria, leaving Syrian artifacts open to looting and trafficking by ISIS.
H.R. 1493
* Imposes import restrictions on illicit Syrian artifacts to undercut looting and trafficking.
* Provides for antiquities to be temporarily protected by U.S. institutions until they can be safely returned to their rightful owners.
* Expresses congressional support for establishing an interagency coordinating committee to better protect historical sites and artifacts at risk worldwide.
* Improves congressional oversight of efforts to save cultural property.
Action Needed Now
* With final House passage, H.R. 1493 will head to the President’s desk for signature.
