blood antiques

BLOOD ANTIQUES

INTROSOMOP

- Start digging here,this is the right spot.

If God wills it, we'll soon be livingin Paris.

BELGIUM 1

ROYAL MUSEUM

VOICE-OVERThe Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels. Two years ago some crates arrived here filled with antique artefacts from Afghanistan. They had been impounded by customs.

QUOTEThese are antiquities, authenticantiquities,

from various looted sites in Pakistan,Afghanistan...

This is a fine example of Nal ceramicart. Lovely decorative work.

There's also a lot of Buddhist artfrom the Indus plain.

I feel like a mala fide shopkeeperwho's got a bit of everything:

Third millennium, Islamite period andBuddhist period.

With the right merchandising,we're not talking in hundreds,

or thousands, but in hundreds ofthousand euros.

These pieces were all earmarkedfor the antiques market,

4-6 High Street, Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0RY, EnglandRegistered in England & Wales – Reg No. 2537765

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more specifically the Belgian one.

ARTHUR BRAND

VOICE-OVERThe Zavel in Brussels, the beating heart of the Belgian antique world. It’s very probable that the pieces from the museum would have ended up here... We arrange to meet Arthur Brand, Dutch art connoisseur and author of a book on antique artefacts’ smuggling.

QUOTEFor the man in the street, the art tradeis something very chic,

something for the aristocracy,

a world of beautiful works of artand expensive receptions.

However, it's only about two things:Money and money. Nothing else.

The official art world and the illegalart world

appear to be separate entities, butthey fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

VOICE-OVERA major part of the illegal art trade is made up of the sales of stolen and smuggled pieces. And, according to Brand, it is no coincidence that the pieces happen to end up at the Zavel.

QUOTEThis is one of the hotspotsin the world.

Brussels has its benefits:It is strategically located in Europe.

You've got the EU, diplomats anda lot of rich people.

Collecting art gives you added status,

which is why diplomats are oftencollectors.

VOICE-OVERThere’s another thing that makes Belgium so attractive to smugglers: pieces can be


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sold here without documents to prove their legal origin. Since an antique dealer is not obliged to prove that he has come by the piece through legal channels, pieces that have only recently been dug up can be sold without any problem at all.

QUOTEThis piece still has remnants of sandin it.

If this had come from a collection,the sand would have disappeared.

They must have dug this up sometime ago..

VOICE-OVERBrand takes us to a business where, according to him, looted Afghanistan antiques are simply being exhibited in the shop’s window.

QUOTEThe smuggled goods are staring youin the face.

VOICE-OVER According to the antique dealer, everything here is perfectly above board.

SOMOP- You have pieces here that in my opinion could have been digged up a few months ago

in Afghanistan or other places.- No, I don’t think so. And I would personally never take anything out of a country, where

it is forbidden. I have been travelling for many many years, never, never, never I would have taken out an object.

FIRST UNDERCOVER

VOICE-OVERWe decide to return to the same shop, but with a hidden camera. This time we get to hear a completely different story:

VERBORGEN CAMERAI was the first to have pieces likethese years ago in Belgium.

Where did you buy them?

It's obvious that if a piece comes fromAfghanistan, it has been stolen.

Every piece?-Yes, of course.

VOICE-OVER


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With a bit of pressing, the dealer agrees to show us how you can tell that a piece has been dug up illegally...

VERBORGEN CAMERAYou can see evidence of the tools theyused in the excavation, like an axe.

It's not from an archaeological dig?- I don't think so.

AFGHANISTAN 1

BESENVAL & C°

VOICE-OVERThe archaeological site of Sheshm-e-Shafa in the north of Afghanistan. French archaeologists are digging for the remains of an era that dates back 4,000 years. The leader of the expedition is Roland Besenval. QUOTE

Cheshm-e-Shafa,northern Afghanistan.

We discovered this Cheshm-e-Shafasite which controlled the main route,

the old road that linked the northof Afghanistan, Bactria,

to India.

Alexander the Great took this routeafter his conquests in Central Asia.

SOMOPHello Zia. I'm fine, how are you?

QUOTEYou find a lot of unusual influenceshere.

It was also a crossroads of cultures.

You have influences from everywhere,

which is what enrichesthe archaeology in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is more than


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drugs and the Taliban.

There is so much wealth in thecountry and we have to safeguard it.

VOICE-OVERBecause of Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage, it is covered with sites like these. Many art treasures still lie here buried under the ground. A few weeks ago, the archaeologists discovered this Zoroastrian fire altar.

QUOTEThis stone could be pre-Islamic.

The time of the Achaemenids orSassanids in the 5th century BC.

To my mind, this is the only one ofits kind in Afghanistan, and even Iran.

An extremely important discovery.

People have dug all around it,even as far as underneath it.

Probably looters, not knowing what itwas,

who were looking for an easy find.

VOICE-OVERWhen archaeologists start to dig, far too often they have to conclude that looters have been there before them. And so valuable information is irrevocably lost forever.

QUOTEAnything you find in the soil,be it a pot or the remains of a wall,

supplies information that helps youto date what you've found,

and other objects lying around.

Looters dig holes without any thoughtto what they're doing.

They're not interested in history,only in what they can sell.


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BELGIUM 2

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

VOICE-OVEROnce it comes onto the antiques’ market, an object takes on a commercial value. Snatched, literally, from their context, archaeological pieces simply change into merchandise.

QUOTETreasure diggers take away the bestpieces,

which might end up in Peru, New Yorkor Tokyo.

No one knows their origin,their location or if they're complete.

As regards history, it's the same astearing pages out of a history book.

VOICE-OVEREven when the dealer knows perfectly well where a smuggled piece has come from, they’ll keep that information to themselves. Usually a dealer will claim that the piece is legal and comes from an old collection.

SOMOP- This is Afghanistan?- Yeah?- This is an old piece? An old collection?- Old piece… Collection, yes… Private collection from Belgium.- Private collection of Belgium?- Yes.- So you are sure that it was not unearthed a few years ago in Afghanistan?During the

war…- It’s impossible to be sure, exactly.- You’re not sure?- No, I’m sure for this piece. But it’s impossible to know exactly if this piece was not

taken before in Afghanistan…- So but how are you sure about this piece?- Because…- Because the desert sand is still on it.- Because…It is not… I can not…- Why is there desert sand here?- Okay, maybe if you want this piece I take in Afghanistan. But…- So you are not sure?- Yeah, yeah, I’m not sure exactly.- You are not sure?- Yes.- Okay, that’s fine. Thank’s to tell the truth.- Okay.


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- Thank you.

UNDERCOVER HASSELT

VOICE-OVERThe annual Art and Antique Fair in the Grenslandhallen in Hasselt. Here we meet another antique dealer who has his pieces delivered here directly from Afghanistan. Neither is the place where they were found important to him.

VERBORGEN CAMERAI've written North Pakistan, althoughit's on the border with Pakistan.

Whether it's on this side or the otherside of the border, it doesn't matter .

I don't know the exact location.- It's not important.

I'll ask my friend when he's backfrom Afghanistan.

You have someone there who...- I trained him. He's an Afghan.

He's from an important family.He can do what he wants.

And customs?- That head fits in your suitcase.

No one will stop you when you bring itin,

and over there you just bribethe customs.

Whether it's permitted or not,you'll always have to pay anyway.

If you don't pay, you've had it.

UNDERCOVER KNOKKE

VOICE-OVER (The seafront in Knokke on the Belgian Coast)The Zeedijk in Knokke. Here too we’re going to visit an antique dealer specialised in Afghan objects. The dealer has been in the business for many years and once used to buy his stock himself on the black market in Afghanistan…

VERBORGEN CAMERAIn the old days I'd spend the first night


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in town,

then I'd head northwards. Everyoneseemed to know I was coming.

Maybe they had their sources atcustoms or perhaps I was on a list.

They'd try to get to me first,so I wouldn't buy from someone else.

Nowadays, my contacts come to myshop which makes life easier.

Delivery to my doorstep.

Would you like to go back?- Not for the moment, no.

It's dangerous where the piecesoriginate.

They kidnap you because they knowyou've got cash on you.

AFGHANISTAN 2

BUMPER ARCHIEF OORLOG

VOICE-OVERIn fact, for decades buying antique artefacts in Afghanistan has never been without its dangers. The country has been ravaged by war for the last thirty years. In 1979 the war against the Soviet occupation began... Once the Russian troops had withdrawn in 1988, civil war broke out… and this lasted until 1996 when the fundamentalist Taliban took over power... At the end of 2001 the US toppled them from power, yet still today they continue the fight to regain power in Afghanistan... This doesn’t make the job of the French archaeologists any easier. Roland Besenval is never without a pistol on his belt.

PISTOLS AND LAND MINES

QUOTEIt could help in a minor incident,but I hope I never have to use it.

The only problem was at Wardak.An attack on the base.

They'd laid mines on the road,but they never went off.


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ROLAND TAKES US ALONG WITH HIM…

VOICE-OVERBesenval takes us along to a site a hundred kilometres further away. Two thousand years ago this was a bustling town. However, there is little left here for archaeologists.

QUOTEThis is typical of the sitesin Afghanistan.

Completely looted.

Looting has been going on herefor years.

It looks more like somewherethat has been heavily shelled.

They dug these holes to gounderground.

Once there, they dug galleries in a starshape.

The idea was to create a larger areafor their looting.

QUOTEI don't know how deep this one is.In Tepe Zargaran,

we found underground galleriessix metres under the ground.

How do you feel, seeing all this?

The sites are protected now,but the first years were pretty hard.

QUOTEThe looters were local villagers. It'ssimply a source of income for them.

It's an economy of despair.

If you ask a looter why they'reat a site,

they'll say it's better than doingnothing at home. So, they loot.


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VILLAGERS SHOW US THEIR FINDS

VOICE-OVERA few of the villagers come and join us. They show us figures that they’ve found.

SOMOPBuddha.

They're both very old.- More than three thousand years old.

VOICE-OVERThe village is home to a few hundred people. For the villagers, the excavations are an important source of income.

QUOTETen years ago, before the Taliban,people searched for antique art.

They tried to earn as much moneyas possible with their finds,

to put food on the tablefor their children.

You don't do this for fun.

There's no one who does this just forsomething to do.

If you're not desperate, you never dothis.

It takes a lot of effort and time.

But if you've no other choice,then you even jump into the water.

VOICE-OVERA family from the village shows us what they have been able to dig up. A collection that wouldn’t look out of place in a museum. The real find is a large stone.

QUOTEIt rained very hard one day.

It made dents in the soil and we sawbits of objects sticking out.

The force of the rain exposed parts ofthem.


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We simply lifted them out ofthe soil.

And the stone?- Same thing.

Part of it was exposed and we wereable to dig it out.

But we had had very heavy rainfall

.BELGIUM 3

TOP PRICES AT THE ZAVEL

VOICE-OVERAt the Zavel in Brussels however, trade is not dependent on how poor you might be. Anything but… We meet a collector who is poised to buy this four thousand year-old Afghan “cult object”. Price tag: €20,000...

VERBORGEN CAMERAWonderful.- Magnificent.

You take a very close look at it,

and then you forget everything elseand follow your heart.

If you really like a piece,you have to go for it,

even if you don't make a profit on itand it has no added value.

You can lose your money on the stockmarket.

In property too. At least this gives youpleasure.

VOICE-OVERA few doors down we come across a similar fine investment: the head of a Afghan Buddha, two thousand years old...

VERBORGEN CAMERAForty.- Forty thousand?

The face was gold-plated.


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- Where did you buy it?

Sir, surely you don't expect...You should be in this profession.

I'm just interested.- I won't tell you.

A dealer who gives awayhis sources... I'd like to see that.

VOICE-OVERAnd ethical scruples are obviously not something that bothers this buyer.

VERBORGEN CAMERANot wanting stolen goods isn'tnecessarily a matter of conscience.

It's the in thing at the moment.

It's only now that people do certainthings to be 'politically correct'.

But as long as you're not buyingthe Venus de Milo or the Mona Lisa,

you have to take thingsin their context.

There'll be a time when Afghanistanwill once again be rich and powerful,

and it will buy back its heritage.

VOICE-OVERHowever, if ever the Afghans want to buy back their looted heritage, they’ll need to do more than just go to the bank, because top antique artefacts sell for hundreds of thousands of euros…

VERBORGEN CAMERA This one... how much? I'm asking 25, which is not very expensive. But it's a fragment. If you had the

head... Maybe a complete head would be 100 or 200 or even 300.000. (opgelet: vertalen als honderdduizenden!!!)

And they steal it or they loot it from the ground? Eeuh... I don't know. If the piece is genuine, is that good enough for you? Do you

love the art? I mean: do you have a problem if it's not legal? Me? No... And I don't think anybody can come to you. In Belgium they have no laws that say:

“You have to give it back.” So I think you'll have no problem. As far as I know there's absolutely no law. Belgium is maybe the most free in the world.


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POLICE: “BELGIUM IS LINCHPIN”

VOICE-OVERThe Federal Police’s art fraud squad is well aware of the problem. For inspector Axel Poels it’s more a case of beating your head against a brick wall.

QUOTEIn general, Belgium is known asthe linchpin for stolen art.

It's logical, because we are socentrally located in western Europe.

And in both Belgium and Holland,

whether it be legislation, the legalsystem or the police,

stolen art is not on the top of anyone'slist.

BRAND: “PREFERABLY NO INVESTIGATION”

QUOTEThis is a world of it own, one thatdoesn't take to being investigated.

It's a high society world.

If you'd really start digging in the artworld,

heads of people in high places wouldroll.

There's also the aristocracy, some ofwhom also have collections,

of so-called 'blood antiquities'.

BLOOD ANTIQUES, 9/11

VOICE-OVER‘Blood antiquities’… according to Interpol and FBI reports there is a strong link between the trade in antiquities and the financing of war and terrorism. The profits are enormous. Each year some 5 billion euros worth of stolen antiquities are traded. A large part of this sum comes into the hands of terror organizations.

QUOTE A lot of the pieces come from prettyunstable countries,


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where terrorist organisationsrun the show, like Afghanistan,

or Lebanon with the Hezbollah.

Recently, these organisationsdiscovered that the trade in looted art

is very lucrative.

Indirectly, this trade finances terroristattacks.

QUOTETake Mohammed Atta, who flew hisplane into the Twin Towers in 2001.

It was known that he had financedor intended to finance his operations,

by trading in stolen Afghan artin Germany.

QUOTE, BRANDIt was in 2005 that the alarm bellsstarted to ring,

when Der Spiegel, a Germanmagazine, revealed that Atta,

at the beginning of 2001, just beforethe attacks,

had visited an art professorin Göttingen in Germany.

He had a lot of stolen Afghan art andwanted to know where he could sell it.

The reason he gave wasthat he wanted to buy a plane.

VOICE-OVER Besides Al Qaeda, other organisations, such as the Taliban, also appear to be interested in antiquities.

QUOTE POELSIt's obvious that in areas underTaliban control,

where pieces are dug upand smuggled out of the country,


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that the profits financethe Taliban war machine.

It's the same as the heroin that isgrown in Taliban controlled areas.

All the profits from it also go towardstheir war machine.

I think it's simply yet another way offinancing their war,

to be able to continue their war.

SALES IN SWAT

VOICE-OVERThe Swat valley in the north of Pakistan… There was a time when this was the centre of the Buddhist Gandhara civilization and the area is littered with archaeological sites. However, in April this year, heavy fighting broke out in Swat between Taliban militias and the Pakistan government troops. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee the violence. Hundreds of people died. And yet, for some antique lovers, the ensuing chaos was a stroke of luck, at least that’s what they hope. In the antique shop in Knokke we are witness to a conversation between the owner and a customer.

HIDDEN CAMERAThere must be Gandhara in Swat.- Certainly.

Will anything be coming out?- I don't know.

Not long ago we saw a film in Bonnthat an Italian made in Swat.

He filmed the destruction ofa Buddha statue.

You see a young guy, 14 years old,blowing the Buddha to pieces.

If they were clever, they'd have hewnit out.

Maybe, who knows.As I said, they're fanatics.

It was an idol, it had to be destroyed.

Why didn't they sell it?


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They're practical people.

You'll never guess what they'reselling.

I have received a fax concerningthat huge Bamiyan Buddha.

We've been asked if we're interestedin a delivery of rubble.

AFGHANISTAN 3

THE BUDDHAS OF BAMIYAN

VOICE-OVERThe Buddhas of Bamiyan were a part of our world heritage. The images were demolished using anti-tank mines, five months before 11 September. Because the Buddhas dated from pre-Islamic times, they had to be destroyed. Many other Buddha statutes were also destroyed mercilessly...

However, the Taliban didn’t only destroy age-old artefacts. Often it was decided to loot artefacts and to sell them. We joined a few experienced treasure diggers. They are always searching for sites and know where best to go. Our destination lies somewhere in the steppes on the border with Turkmenistan. Although we pass a few Buddhist shrines on the way, Jamil and his men are heading for a old tomb under which they believe treasure to be buried.

QUOTEListen, listen.

According to what people say,

this was a Buddhist shrine, dating2,800 to 3,600 years ago.

The unbelievers placed objectsin their graves for the angels of death.

SOMOPStart digging here,this is the right spot.

If God wills it, we'll soon be livingin Paris.

VOICE-OVERJamil and his men look for the entrance to a complex of tunnels under the tomb. This tunnel was dug by the Taliban. Now and again the men find a few small objects, but the most valuable pieces have already been looted by the Taliban….

QUOTES


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We used to graze our cattle hereuntil the Taliban came.

The Taliban started to dig here.

They worked for forty days and nights.

They dug a tunnel, but we don't knowwhat they found.

Everyone said something different.Some said they'd found a mummy.

There were lots of rumours,but the Taliban never let anyone near.

VOICE-OVERThe men dig a deep shaft and reach the entrance of the tunnel under the shrine. Now they can start looking under the tomb.

QUOTEWe're now exactly in the centreof the tomb.

The Taliban started to dig a fourmetre-long tunnel from that side.

It was very hard work digging,

but finally they came out exactlyunder the tomb.

VOICE-OVERHowever, today the men leave empty-handed. The best pieces are most likely somewhere abroad.

QUOTEIt's all gone, it's left the country.In Paris, in Germany,

in America, in Canada,there are even pieces in Moscow.

QUOTEWe didn't find anything today.

People have dug here four or fivetimes.

It all began with the Taliban.


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BAGORAK, KOPEN VD STEEN

VOICE-OVERThe Taliban have also been digging furiously in Tepe Zargaran. Taliban fighters also went from house to house confiscating the finds of the local people. This stone had lain hidden for years. It’s only now that the owner dares to bring it out.

QUOTEIt's a very old piece. We have nevershown it to anyone before.

VOICE-OVERAfter negotiating for a while, we finally buy the stone for 300 dollars. A real bargain for a two thousand year-old Greek stone. In Belgium, a piece like this would fetch tens of thousands of euros...

SOMOPAre you happy?

VOICE-OVERWhen it’s time to leave the village, all at once we find ourselves surrounded by a dozen other villagers who have more pieces to sell.

SOMOP SFEER, NIET VERTALEN

THE TRADERS FROM MAZAR

VOICE-OVERWe continue our journey to Màzar-i-Sharif, the largest town in the north of Afghanistan... Villagers come here to sell their artefact treasures around the shrine of Imam Ali... You won’t find extremely valuable pieces here. This man earns a few dollars every day selling old potsherds and odd bits of ceramic.

SOMOPHow old is that piece?

This must be two thousand years old.

How much did you pay for it?- I bought it for 200 afghani.(3€)

And how much are you asking?

What do you want for it?- I want 300 afghani for it.(4.5€)

THE SMUGGLERS

VOICE-OVERTo meet the major league smugglers we have to head for Peshàwar in Pakistan. Peshawar is the centre from where the finds leave for Western Europe. However, before we get there, we stop in Jalalabad, just before the Pakistan border. We’ve


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arranged to meet a few major dealers... they’re willing to tell us about their business…

QUOTESI have people digging for me.

We buy what interests usfrom the diggers and sell them on.

We bring them onto the market.

VOICE-OVERBefore the pieces are sent to the market they are first photographed. The photos are then sent off to clients to ascertain whether they are interested.

QUOTEThis is a very old piece of earthenwarewith ornamentation on it.

In Pashtu we call that kaudare.

It's difficult to see the beautyof the ornamentation.

When we contact interested parties,we first show them the photo.

VOICE-OVERIf there is interest, the piece is taken to Peshawar by specialised smugglers.

QUOTEWe look for an agent in Pakistan.

Once we've found one, he will proposea percentage. We take our own.

We never have any contact withforeigners, that's the agent's job.

QUOTEWe pass on the pieces to our friendsin Pakistan,

who have good contacts withthe Pakistan secret service, the ISI.

In their turn, they have contacts withpilots who also receive their cut.

After that, it's easy to get the piecesout of the country.


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QUOTEBusiness was easy under the Taliban.Now there are more restrictions.

In those days, people came fromcountries like Pakistan and China.

VOICE-OVERHowever, they claim that the Taliban are still active in the antique business.

QUOTEThe Taliban are also in this businessin the areas under their control.

They send pieces abroad. We've heardthey've found something in Nimruz.

VOICE-OVERWe show our stone to one of the traders and ask if they can smuggle it to Belgium for us.

QUOTEThe relief is very clear. These sort ofstones usually come from Herat.

They want to get it to Belgium.

There is a possibility via the airportat Kandahar.

We don't have any contacts any moreat the airport at Kabul.

We got into trouble trying to smuggleheroine through the airport.

That's why we're now usingKandahar.

BELGIUM 4

ZAVENTEM CUSTOMS

VOICE-OVERBrussels International airport. An average of 50,000 passengers and 2,000 tons of freight pass through here every day. Customs do their best to control whether illegally smuggled goods, such as blood antiquities from Afghanistan, are entering the country. However, according to customs officer Pol Meuleneire, it’s basically an impossible task.


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QUOTEIn my mind we are basicallypowerless to do anything.

It's also something completely newand very hazy.

We're faced with a shortage ofpersonnel for the job.

We have to control the cargo,and notify the addressees

that an investigation is underway.We simply don't have the manpower.

VOICE-OVERNow and again they manage to intercept suspicious shipments. The problem is, the customs officers don’t really know that much about antiquities.

QUOTEWe will always have to call in experts.

They have to contact the embassiesand countries of origin.

And all that takes a lot of time.

VOICE-OVERWhen a shipment is held back for release, the police have to be called in. However, for them it’s just as difficult to know whether the antiquities have been looted or not.

QUOTEIt's true that our department'sspeciality is art fraud,

but it's obvious that I can hardlybe expected

to know all about the art historyof the world.

We also have to call in experts inthe majority of cases we handle.

SOMOPIt's been well made, it has a patinainside.

QUOTEWe do have our successes, but they'refew and far between.


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Sometimes we wish we'd neverstarted.

UNDERCOVER VAN ROY II

VOICE-OVERWith the limited controls it wouldn’t appear that difficult to smuggle antiquities through customs. We receive an e-mail from an antique dealer who has just received a fresh consignment of Afghan Buddhas into the country. We arrange to meet him at his warehouse just a five-minute walk from the Zavel.

VERBORGEN CAMERADid I send a photo of everything?- There was a Buddha head.

It's very rare.- What's it worth?

Well, somewhere around 9,500 euros.

For you it's a different matter.However, going under 8,000 euros

is not going to be possible.

VOICE-OVERAll these pieces have been bought on the black market in Afghanistan. They were then smuggled through customs in Kabul with the help of corrupt customs officers. The dealer uses an Afghan middle-man to arrange the deal…

VERBORGEN CAMERAMy friend has collected quite a lotover the last couple of months.

To ship them, he will have to paybetween 500 and 800 euros in bribes.

To customs?- Yes.

Is it just a matter of payment?- No, you have to know someone.

If you happen to meet an honestofficial, someone who can't be bribed,

you'll pay much more to get out ofprison.

So, it's all in the price?- Yes.


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It's shipped either via Bangkok,Singapore or Dubai.

And it ends up here.

VOICE-OVEROnce the pieces have passed through Belgian customs they’re transported to this warehouse. From here they’ll find their way to some of the antique shops at the Zavel...

VERBORGEN CAMERAWe're five minutes from the Zavel,which is great.

The dealers will be here on Saturday.

I don't want to push you, butdoubtless some pieces will get sold.

You also sell to dealers?- They'll come for a drink on Saturday.

Hopefully they'll be in a buying mood.

We'll make sure they have enoughwine to drink that evening.

OUT AND ABOUT WITH JAVID

VOICE-OVERWe want to find out just how easily Brussels’ antique dealers buy smuggled antiques. To do this, we call in the help of Javid, a young actor from Iran. We give him a few small pieces and some photos of bigger finds from Afghanistan. We also give him a photo of the stone that we bought while we were over there. Armed with a hidden camera, he sets out to try to sell his treasures.

VERBORGEN CAMERA - Good morning Sir, I have some pieces from Afghanistan and I don’t know if you’re

interested.- Afghanistan? It’s touchy. Yes, it’s very touchy… Most of the pieces are forbidden for

sale.- Oh forbidden for sale.- Yes… Because there has been too much smuggling. And it’s very dangerous. I like

it but I can not take the chance.- Allright…

VOICE-OVERHowever, it’s not long before the fish takes the bait.

VERBORGEN CAMERA


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- I have some ancient pieces from Afghanistan and I want to know if you’re interested.

- I’m always interested….- I can show you the picture because some of the stuffs are too big that I cannot

carry. This one… That is a big piece… It’s from Afghanistan.- How much is this?- This is about 800.- It’s nice...- My cousin does this. He brings it, sells it. He lives in Hamburg and he asked me to

find some customers in Belgium.- Oh, I know your family! You have a granddad in Los Angeles, no?- Granddad?No.- Uncle or in LA, America… No? No? I don’t know... - This is another stone. It’s Greek. Ant this is also in Hamburg.- You could maybe give me the address in Hamburg. I’m in September in Hamburg.

Then I will have a look. Yeah?

VOICE-OVERThe owner at the next shop would also appear to have bought merchandise from smugglers before.

VERBORGEN CAMERA- I can tell you honestly and discreetly: I’m very used to buying direct, but nobody

knows.- It’s okay.- Because I don’t want them to know, it’s none of their fucking business.

VOICE-OVERThe dealer tells Javid that in the future he should always bring his smuggled goods to him first.

VERBORGEN CAMERA - Anything that I will find, I will bring it here.- You can always call me and send emails too. You have my address, no?- (1 zinnetje nog nt vertaald)- Please don’t show it to anybody! Because… The more people have seen it… It’s

not good. - Yeah, it’s not so good.- Because I have to tell a story when I sell this. I cannot say it comes directly from

Afganistan. Or Pakistan. People will say: ‘ah illegal’. If they tell the police I buy directly, I’m in trouble.

UNESCO

VOICE-OVERTo help the police, our country recently ratified a UNESCO convention from 1970. Its purpose is to make it more difficult to trade in stolen antiques. From now onwards, an antique dealer has to keep a register for each piece, in which is stated from where the piece originates.

QUOTEAn antique dealer can no longer say


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he bought this from Mr so-and-so.

Now, the dealer has to supply a proofof purchase, an invoice,

a proof of the seller's existence,and so on.

This will make it a lot more difficult

to sell smuggled goods overthe counter in an antique shop.

VOICE-OVER However, according to Arthur Brand, little will change in practice.

QUOTEThe UNESCO convention isa cumbersome, bureaucratic organ.

Pages and pages have been writtenon art fraud.

It can be useful in the event of a casecoming to court.

But that's rare, since it's difficultto prove anything.

Try and prove that Mr Smith, who died30 years ago, didn't own the piece.

The convention has come too latein the day.

It's only useful if you have additionalproof, otherwise it's not much use.

It's still business as usual in countriesthat ratified the convention long ago.

It's just for show.

THE COLLECTORVOICE-OVERNeither do the antique dealers’ clients appear to be losing any sleep over the UNESCO convention. We visit someone who’s been collecting antiques for years. His house resembles a museum, crammed full with an incredible collection of antiques…

QUOTEI've bought steadily all my life.


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If I like something, I buy it.

If you're talking about Afghan art,that pot is apparently very old.

It's a beautiful pot.

VOICE-OVERBesides this pot that dates from the Bronze Age, there are some showpieces that originate from Afghanistan. This statue was dug up in the border region with Pakistan…

QUOTEI bought this piece in Brussels.

Do you know what they ask fora small seated Buddha, this big?

65,000 euros, and certainly no betterthan this one.

VOICE-OVERThe fact that the statue might have been dug up illegally does not present a problem to the owner.

VERBORGEN CAMERAI think it's nice, but I don't know itsorigins.

The excavations are all clandestineoperations.

No feelings of guilt?-It's not worth it.

VOICE-OVERAnd also the fact that his money might have ended up in the Taliban’s pockets is of minor importance.

VERBORGEN CAMERAOf course it goes to the Taliban,as does everything that's sold.

They're looting and selling over there.

But some of your money ends up withthe Taliban.

What I paid for that pot could wellhave gone to the Taliban.


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Don't you ever think about it?

Yes, I do. But what do they do with itover in Afghanistan?

Nothing. Until there's peace onceagain in Afghanistan.

It isn't appreciated, anyway.QUOTE

If ever the president of Afghanistancomes here,

and says he has a lovely piece thatwould fit in very well,

I would be interested.

But he'd have to prove it was his andthat he wouldn't sell it just to anyone.

AFGHANISTAN EPILOGUE

VOICE-OVERAnd yet there are people in Afghanistan who really value their cultural heritage. Instead of smuggling the large stone to Belgium, together we bring it to the National Museum of Kabul where it will certainly arouse a lot of interest.

SOMOP- It is a very nice piece indeed.- It could be the part of a drainage system from a yard, or something. Because you

see the holes go down.- I would say it’s the bottom of a basin to wash your hands in.

SOMOPThe design could represent the sun.

VOICE-OVERSince the museum suffered terribly in recent decades from looting, there is more than enough space for the new acquisition.

QUOTE MASSOUDIThis is a unique and old piece. Maybe it belongs to Graeco-Bactrian or Kushan period. At least it has more than 1500 years back. My message for the belgian collectors: please don’t purchase, don’t sell these artefacts. This is the property of Aghanistan. When they stop their purchasing, I believe that these dealers that are looting will stop their activities again. This is important for us.


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blood antiques - script

Documents

stolen afghan art

verborgen camera

smuggled goods

hidden camera

art fraud

stolen art

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