China’s Ming tomb raiders sent to prison for theft of ancient relics
Defendants jailed for up to 12 years for stealing stone artefacts from World Heritage Site
Seven people have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 12 years for stealing relics from China’s famed Ming tombs, local media reported.
The collection of 13 mausoleums and tombs located northwest of Beijing were built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Although many of the buildings have been destroyed over the centuries, those that remain are part of a United Nations World Heritage Site.
According to a report by Beijing Youth Daily on Tuesday, the defendants were sentenced to between four and 12 years for their parts in the theft of two stone artefacts in April 2016. It did not say when the trial took place and provided only the defendants’ surnames.
They were found guilty of taking the relics, each of which was about 1 metre (39 inches) tall, from a yard in front of the tomb of Emperor Zhu Youjian, the report said, citing a court document.
The artefacts were loaded onto a cart and pushed to a waiting car.