WEEKLY REPORT 93-94
May 11-24, 2016
U. S. Dept. Cooperation Agreement Number: NEA-PSHSS-14-001
BY Michael D. Danti, Allison Cuneo, Susan Penacho, Bijan Rouhani, Amr Al-Azm, Marina Gabriel, Kyra Kaercher, Jamie O’Connell, with consultation from Thomas Livoti
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* This report is based on research conducted by the “Safeguarding the Heritage of the Near East Initiative,” funded by the US Department of State. Monthly reports reflect reporting from a variety of sources and may contain unverified material. As such, they should be treated as preliminary and subject to change.
Executive Summary
During the reporting period, DigitalGlobe satellite imagery revealed that Russian military forces occupied the archaeological site of Palmyra, specifically the area known as the Northern Necropolis within the UNESCO World Heritage site boundaries. Russian forces have constructed a paved military base that includes multiple structures, a helicopter landing pad, roadways (paved and unpaved), earthen berms, and fences. Areas within and around the base are being used for light and heavy vehicle parking. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) has described this construction as a temporary camp for sappers to clear the site of mines laid by ISIL militants during their occupation, although the Russian MOD has not specified the length of time the base will be operational. While the ongoing mineclearing operation is necessary, the site’s militarization exposes the fragile and poorlypreserved archaeological remains in the Northern Necropolis to other threats. Camp Alpha, built by United States military forces in April 2003 on the archaeological site of Babylon in Iraq and later transferred to Polish military forces in September 2003, provides a comparative case study. Assessments of the damage have been undertaken by the United States Department of State, the British Museum, archaeologists attached to Polish forces, and UNESCO, all detailing the negative impacts of militarization. Subsurface archaeological features were damaged and destroyed by the digging of trenches and postholes for barbed wire fences and by earthmoving for filling sandbags, the construction of berms, and the grading and leveling of land for vehicle parking, roads, new buildings, and a helipad —many of these areas were covered with either gravel or asphalt. Military vehicles struck buildings and cut deep ruts into the surface, which reportedly caused unspecified damage to subsurface features by churning up or compressing earth, and the vibrations from heavy helicopter traffic contributed to the collapse of a poorly preserved structure. Furthermore, the militarization of Babylon rendered the site inaccessible to the SBAH, preventing routine
maintenance and emergency interventions, which caused further deterioration of the site.The Russian MOD has not further defined the term “temporary” as potentially entailingweeks, months or years, but the 18-month occupation of Camp Alpha resulted in significant and often irreversible damage. If Russian military forces have not already undertaken preventative mitigation efforts to counteract the negative impacts of militarization and are not in consultation with the DGAM, the already poorly preserved archaeological features in the Northern Necropolis of Palmyra could suffer the same types of damage documented at Babylon.
The actions of the Russian MOD may potentially represent a violation of Article 4 of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, commonly known as the 1954 Hague Convention. The Russian Federation is a State Party to the Hague Convention and the First Protocol (1954). Paragraph 1 of Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention asks States Parties “to refrain from any use of the property and its immediate surroundings […] for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage.” Therefore, the question is not whether the Russian military camp is inside the World Heritage boundary or not — even if the camp is in the buffer zone or the immediate surrounding of the site, it violates Article 4 of the Convention. Placing a military camp inside the site or inside its immediate surrounding constitutes placing a “military objective” within the boundary of Palmyra, which may transform the site into a “military objective” as well, exposing the site to damage or destruction as a military target. According to the Customary International Humanitarian Law (CIHL), military objectives are: “those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose partial or total destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.” This definition was adopted by the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention in 1999. Although Russia is not a State Party to the Second Protocol, the rules of the CIHL can be applied in this case. Furthermore, the concept of military necessity, according to the Second Protocol, shall be judged on the basis of two conditions: 1. No other feasible alternative was available at the moment of the conduct of hostilities, and 2. The assessment of the situation by a commander was made from all sources reasonably available to him/her at the moment of the conduct of hostilities. While clearing mines from Palmyra is needed to ensure the safety of military personnel and civilians, it is not readily apparent that placing the base directly inside the archaeological zone constituted a military necessity given that there is an abundance of available open land just outside the site boundary.
Airstrikes continue to inflict significant damage to heritage sites across Syria. Multiple places of worship in Aleppo, Hasakah, and Homs Governorates were damaged, including up to 11 mosques in Aleppo city, and the Idlib Museum was struck for the second time in May. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Deir Semaan, also known as Saint Simeon, was also severely damaged, which has been documented by The Day After Heritage Protection Initiative site monitors. Additionally, a mosque in Fallujah was reportedly struck by US-led coalition airstrikes.
ISIL militants released propaganda photographs of the destruction of the Mashki and Adad Gates at Nineveh, which occurred during the previous reporting period.
Key points from this report:
- Aerial bombardment shows ongoing airstrikes in the vicinity of al-Kabir Mosque in the village of Deir al-Asafir, Damascus Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0009 UPDATE).
- New footage reveals the extent of damage to the Church of the Virgin Mary in the village of Tel Nasri, Hasakah Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0032).
- A Russian military base has been constructed within the Northern Necropolis at Palmyra, Homs Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0065).
- Airstrikes damage UNESCO World Heritage Site Deir Semaan in Deir Semaan, Aleppo Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0066). The Day After Heritage Protection Initiative has produced a report on the damage.
- Ongoing airstrikes damage Al Kabir Mosque in the town of As-Sukhna, Homs Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0067).
- Mortar shells struck and damaged the St. George Church in the city of Hasakah, Hasakah Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0068).
- Alleged SARG barrel bombs damage Abi bin Abi Talib Mosque in the village of Burj al Qa’ei, Homs Governorate, Syria (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0069).
- Airstrikes struck and damaged the fence of the Idlib Museum in the city of Idlib, Idlib Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0070).
- Suspected Russian airstrikes damage Al Bara bin Malek Mosque, Ammar Bin Yasser Mosque, Salah ad Din Mosque, and Khalid Ibn Al-Walid Mosque in and around the city of Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report SHI 16-0071).
- New ISIL propaganda photographs show the destruction of the Mashki and Adad Gates at the ancient city of Nineveh, Ninawa Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 16-0010 UPDATE).
- Alleged US-led coalition airstrikes struck and damaged Al-Raqib Mosque in the city of Fallujah, Al Anbar Governorate (ASOR CHI Incident Report IHI 16-0014).