Law rewards citizens informing police about antiquities damage

CAIRO – 21 August 2019: Citizens who file cases of looting, stealing, smuggling or damaging antiquities will be rewarded, according to the Antiquities Protection Law in Egypt.

Per the law, citizens who inform the police about acts of damage of antiquities are entitled to rewards that will be valued by the committee specialized in Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, or the committee concerned with the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities.

Law no. 91/2018 was approved by the Parliament and issued by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi after amendments were applied to the provisions of the Antiquities Protection Law.

The law in its original form, before the amendments, could not efficiently protect the antiquities, or deter violators who commit such crimes especially following the 25 January Revolution in 2011, when lack of security prevailed, and resulted in looting of museums.