Rare Yemeni antiquities caught in Swiss legal dispute for nearly decade

SANAA, Aug. 19 (YPA) – Yemen’s two rare ancient statues of the “Lady of Dhalah” type have been at the center of a legal dispute in Switzerland for nearly a decade, with no apparent Yemeni legal representation in the published court documents, according to researcher Abdullah Mohsen, who specializes in tracking Yemeni antiquities.

Mohsen said the two statues, registered in court under ST.FIG.047 and ST.FIG.048, are being held in warehouses in Geneva’s free zone and date to between the first and third centuries AD. One is believed to depict a man and the other a woman in an offering posture.

According to an expert report commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture in May 2022, the female statue is authentic and of exceptional value. The strong resemblance between the two pieces suggests they may have originally formed a pair or belonged to a related group.

The case dates back to Swiss investigations launched in 2016 involving thousands of antiquities. Proceedings intensified after an attempt was made in 2022 to remove the female statue from Geneva’s customs zone. In January 2023, the two statues were placed under judicial seizure following concerns about their provenance and possible links to illicit excavations.

In June 2025, the Criminal Appeals Chamber of the Geneva Court of Justice overturned an earlier decision to lift the seizure and returned the case to the Police Court for further consideration. An appeal was subsequently filed with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in July 2025.

Mohsen said he has so far found no final court ruling determining the fate of the statues or ordering their return to Yemen.

He also found no published documents indicating that a lawyer or official submission was representing the Yemeni side in the case.

The researcher said the continued absence of a publicly stated Yemeni position on the artifacts raises questions about the follow-up of a case that could represent an important opportunity to recover rare Yemeni antiquities.

He also welcomed the Swiss authorities’ measures to keep the statues under seizure until the judicial process is completed.