[CPProt.net] UK Museums Get New Powers to Return Human Remains

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

UK Museums Get New Powers to Return Human Remains 
October 11, 2005

Nine national museums in the United Kingdom, including the British Museum
and the National History Museum, on October 5 acquired powers to move human
remains out of their collections as the government brought section 47 of the
Human Tissue Act 2004 into force, the UK Department for Culture, Media and
Sport said in a statement. The nine national museums listed in section 47
now have the power to move out of their collections human remains which are
reasonably believed to be under 1,000 years in age. This means that these
national museums can respond to claims for the return of human remains by
indigenous communities. This move is supported by the wider museum sector;
most of the UK's 2,000 museums are already able to respond to such claims.
The British and Australian premiers made a joint declaration in July 2000 to
increase efforts to repatriate human remains to Australian indigenous
communities, where possible and appropriate.

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