2 days ago
US imposes import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological materials from India
CHENNAI: The US has formally imposed import restrictions on certain archaeological and ethnological materials from India by amending the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations.
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These curbs follow an agreement between the US and India under the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act.
Now US customs can detain and repatriate illegally exported Indian antiquities without the burden of individual provenance litigation. The import restrictions will be in place till July 26, 2029, as of now. The laborious and tedious legal and other processes involved in retrieving the stolen artefacts over the years had prompted non-profit organisations both in India and in the US to push for such restrictions.
'This is a historic moment in the legal protection of India's cultural heritage,' India Pride co-founder K Vijay Kumar told TOI. The agreement 'is a foundational pillar in India's evolving cultural diplomacy', he added.
On July 26, 2024, India and the US signed a bilateral agreement to bar trade in archaeological material ranging in date from about 1.7 million years ago to 1770 CE, as well as certain categories of ethnological material dating from the 2nd century BCE to 1947 CE.
'The bilateral agreement, signed in 2024 under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, reflects years of advocacy, diplomacy and public interest mobilisation,' said Vijay Kumar. 'This milestone would not have been possible without the steadfast efforts of the Cultural Antiquities Task Force, particularly the Antiquities Coalition,' he said.
The archaeological materials include stone, ceramics, faience, and fired clay, metal, plaster, stucco, and unfired clay, paintings, ivory and bone, glass, paper, leather, birch bark, and palm-leaf, textiles, wood, shell, and other organic material, and human remains. The ethnological material includes architectural elements, religious and ceremonial Items and manuscripts.
