Switzerland returns part of Ramses II to Egypt

The Swiss government returned a part of the statue of Ramses II to Egypt, which had been seized in Geneva as part of municipal criminal proceedings.

Carine Bachmann, the Director of the Federal Office of Culture, presented the fragment to the Egyptian embassy in Bern, the capital city.

The fragment had been seized in Geneva during criminal proceedings and was subsequently returned to Egypt in accordance with Switzerland’s law governing the international transfer of cultural property.

This restitution underlines the joint commitment of Switzerland and Egypt to combating the illicit trade in cultural property, which was strengthened in 2011 by the entry into force of a bilateral agreement on the import and return of cultural property.

Both Switzerland and Egypt are parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention to Prohibit and Prevent the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.