UNESCO Condems Syria's Cultural Destruction by Terrorists

Paris, Jan 20 (Prensa Latina) The Unesco Director-General, Irina Bokova, condemned today the destruction caused by the Islamic State of several patrimonial places in the Syrian city of Palmira, which she described as a war crime.

'This destruction is a new war crime and a huge loss for the Syrian people and humanity', said Bokova, after receiving reports and images taken by the UN Operational Satellite Applications Program, confirming the damage.

'This new strike against the cultural heritage, that we knew hours after receiving information about mass executions made in the theater, shows that the cultural cleaning carried out by violent terrorists seeks to destroy human life and historical monuments in order to deprive Syrian people of its past and its future,' regreated Bokova.

A UNESCO statement reads that the images allowed to confirm the damage caused to Tetrapillum and the Roman Theater in Palmira, a place declared Patrimony of Humanity in 1980.

Bokova stressed that 'the Tetrapillum was a architectural symbol of the spirit of encounter and openness of Palmira, and that is also one of the reasons for its destruction. Its location and shape were unique in the ancient architecture and specific symbol of the identity of the city, source of pride and dignity for all Syrians'.

In the statement, UNESCO reiterated the call 'to the entire international comunity to stand together against this cultural cleansing.'