U.S. Repatriates Stolen Artifacts to Turkey Amid Legal Disputes
The U.S. has returned dozens of stolen artifacts to Turkey, including a significant 2,000-year-old Roman sculpture, following a lengthy legal battle. The Manhattan District Attorney's office, led by Alvin Bragg, has been instrumental in repatriating these artifacts, which were illegally taken from Bubon, Turkey, over 60 years ago. The artifacts were part of a smuggling ring that obscured their origins, leading to their distribution across the U.S. The return of these items was marked by a ceremony at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The case involved legal challenges, including a lawsuit by collector Aaron Mendelsohn, who contested the seizure of a bronze sculpture he purchased. Ultimately, Mendelsohn relinquished the sculpture, which was returned to Turkey along with other artifacts. 
