Dutch Supreme Court orders museum artifacts borrowed from Crimea returned to Ukraine
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has ordered a Dutch museum’s trove of historical treasures from Crimea to be sent to Ukraine
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Supreme Court of the Netherlands on Friday ordered a Dutch museum's trove of historical treasures from Crimea to be sent to Ukraine, upholding a lower court ruling that the 300 artifacts were part of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
The collection of archaeological objects, some more than 2,000 years old, was on display at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, sparking a dispute over the repatriation of the borrowed pieces.
Both the Ukrainian government in Kyiv and the four Crimean museums that had loaned bronze swords, golden helmets, precious gems and other artifacts to the Allard Pierson demanded the objects back. The Amsterdam museum instead opted to store the items until a court could decide their fate.
The legal tug-of-war has now ended with the Hague-based Supreme Court ordering the collection to be returned to Ukraine. Judges cited the lack of national recognition for the Russia-annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
