CYIL vol. 11 (2020)

IVAN RYŠKA CYIL 11 (2020) CULTURAL RIGHTS RELATED TO CULTURAL HERITAGE AND THEIR PROTECTION UNDER INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW Ivan Ryška Abstract: The article is divided into two parts. The first one deals with the relationship between cultural heritage and cultural rights. It describes the development of recognition of cultural rights and how cultural rights treat cultural heritage. A special attention is paid to human dimension of cultural heritage: the heritage can be seen as a precondition to enjoy a number of rights. The article describes the link between individuals and communities, and their cultural heritage. The second part of the article provides an analysis of the role of this relationship in relevant decisions under International Criminal Law – most notably in the Al Mahdi case before the International Criminal Court – with an outstanding question: Are cultural rights taken into consideration by the International Criminal Court? Resumé: Článek je rozdělen na dvě části. První se zabývá vztahem mezi kulturními právy a kulturním dědictvím. Popisuje vývoj kulturních práv a to, jak nahlížejí na kulturní dě- dictví. Zvláštní důraz je kladen na lidský prvek kulturního dědictví, kdy je chápáno jako předpoklad pro výkon řady práv. Článek popisuje spojení mezi jednotlivci a komunitami a jejich kulturním dědictvím. Druhá část článku nabízí analýzu role vztahu mezi kulturním dědictvím a jednotlivci či komunitami v relevantních rozhodnutích v oblasti Mezinárod- ního práva trestního. Největší důraz je kladen na případ Al Mahdi, který dává vzniknout otázce, zda jsou kulturní práva reflektována Mezinárodním trestním soudem. Key words: cultural rights, cultural heritage, International Criminal Law, Al Mahdi case. About the Author: Ivan Ryška graduated at Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague. Currenty he is student of doctoral programme at Palacky University in Olomouc. In his research he is focused on International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law, particularly on protection of cultural property during armed conflict and associations amid crimes under international law and destruction of cultural property. He has also published several articles in this field. Introduction Cultural rights are often recognized as an ‘underdeveloped’ category of human rights. Compared to other categories of human rights – civil, political, economic, and social – they are far less developed in their scope and enforceability. However, in the last decades we can observe a growing attention to cultural rights and recognition of their importance. In this article we will focus on one area of cultural rights: we will examine the relationship between cultural rights and cultural heritage. This link has already been analyzed by Simonides, who sees the right to cultural heritage as one of fundamental cultural rights. 1 Moreover, he understands the right as a right to enjoy cultural heritage and also as a tool of protection of cultural heritage both in peace time and 1 SYMONIDES, Janusz. Cultural Rights: a neglected category of human rights. International Social Science Journal , 1998, Vol. 50, No. 158. pp 559-572.

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