Conduct Of Hostilities; Conflicts (ICH_1118); Cultural Property; Different Types Of Harm To Cultural Identity; Human Rights (THE_5675); Indigenous Peoples; Intangible Cultural Heritage; International Human Rights Law; Justice And Strong Institutions (ICH_1394); Law Of Armed Conflict; Military Occupation; Misappropriation And Illicit Traffic; Non-international Armed Conflict; SDG 16: Peace; Social Conflicts (THE_65396); Tangible Cultural Heritage; UNESCO Cultural Conventions;

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84961206361&doi=10.1017%2fS1816383115000879&partnerID=40&md5=ae98b1c9103190149bab229b81cf5636

10.1017/S1816383115000879

In war, individuals are vulnerable not only physically but also in terms of their cultural identity, and the obliteration of cultural heritage often becomes a central issue. This is particularly the case in armed conflicts with an ethnic, cultural or religious character. In some regions, cultural heritage consists more of monuments and objects; it is a "tangible" heritage, mostly protected by the law of armed conflict. Elsewhere, where structures are impermanent, cultural heritage is mainly expressed through orality, gestures, rituals, music and other forms of expression that individuals create using various media and instruments. Such heritage is mainly "intangible". This essay aims to show that cultural heritage is both tangible and intangible, and that the law which protects such heritage is not limited to the law of armed conflict. Cultural heritage also benefits from the protection of other applicable instruments, such as human rights treaties and the UNESCO cultural heritage conventions.