教科文组织警告战区文化清洗（在线收听）

UNESCO Chief Warns of 'Cultural Cleansing' in War Zones 教科文组织警告战区文化清洗

LONDON—

The head of the United Nations cultural organization says the loss of ancient artifacts destroyed by militants in Iraq and Syria has long-term implications for security and peace in the region.

Militants from the Islamic State group proudly distributed a video of its fighters destroying ancient artifacts at the museum in Mosul, Iraq, in February. The group considers the statues and sculptures blasphemous because they are not in keeping with Islamic tradition.

今年二月，伊斯兰国组织骄傲地发布了其武装分子在伊拉克摩苏尔博物馆毁坏古代文物的视频，该组织认为这些塑像和雕塑不符合伊斯兰传统，因此是在亵渎神明。

The resulting outcry by archeologists and other experts received some criticism from people who said the loss of plaster and stone cannot compare to the tens of thousands of deaths and injuries in the conflict.

考古学家和其他专家的抗议招致了批评的声音，有人说与冲突中成千上万死伤相比，损失掉这些石膏和石头算不了什么。

Major significance

But at London’s Chatham House, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bukova said the concern is about much more than stones and artwork.

但在伦敦的查塔姆研究所，联合国教科文组织总干事伊琳娜·博科娃说，担心的不仅是石头和艺术品。

“Safeguarding cultural heritage is a security imperative and a peace-building measure,” she said.

“保护文化遗产是安全上的当务之急，也是一种和平建设措施。”

Bukova said destroying evidence of their culture makes it more difficult for people caught in conflicts to recover, leaving them more vulnerable in the future.

博科娃说，毁掉这些文化遗产使得遭受冲突之苦的人们更难以恢复，让他们未来更容易受到伤害。

“All of this, I believe, is part of the same strategy, which I call ‘cultural cleansing.’ Cultural cleansing is a violation of human rights for thousands, if not millions, of women and men, for the communities," she said. "But it also undermines the possibility for future dialogue, peace-building and reconciliation.”

“我认为所有这些都是同一种悲剧，我称之为‘文化清洗’，对于数百万人，起码数千的男人和女人，对于这些社区来说，文化清洗是对人权的侵犯。同时这也破坏了未来进行对话、和平建设和和解的可能。”

Enforcing law, justice

Any peace-building or reconciliation seems extremely distant in the war zones of Iraq and Syria. And UNESCO says many of the cultural relics that are not being destroyed are being sold illegally to finance other militant operations.

在伊拉克和叙利亚的战区，任何和平建设或和解似乎都非常遥远，联合国教科文组织称很多没有被毁掉的文化遗产在被非法卖掉以资助其他武装行动。

Bukova said the organization is working to fight the trade in illicit artifacts and bring the perpetrators to justice.

博科娃说本组织称努力打击文物非法贸易，将罪犯抓拿归案。

It’s a complex and difficult effort, however, and in the meantime, militants are continuing to destroy any trace of cultures that is different from their own.

然而，这是个复杂和艰难的工作，同时，武装分子仍在毁掉任何异己的文化遗产。