Principle of inalienability of the public domain

The principle of inalienability of the public domain is a legal principle which prohibits the deaccessiong of cultural goods held in public institutions.
France.
In France, the principle of inalienability finds its roots in the Ancien Régime. 
Although the principle was abolished by the revolutionaries in 1789, it was re-introduced by the Court of Appeal in 1846, and subsquentely by the Court of Cassation and the Conseil d'Etat. The principle of inalienability is now embodied in article L52 of the "Code du Domaine de l’Etat" and article L3111-1 of the "Code Général de la Propriété des Personnes Publiques".
Deaccessioning procedure.
Under article L. 451-5 of the French "Code du Patrimoine", the deaccessiong of state property will only be permitted after consent of the "Commission Nationale Scientifique des Collections". This procedure is, however, not avalaible for goods that have been entenred public collections through gifts and bequests.
Derogations to the principle of inalienability.
To permit the restitution of cultural goods and human remains without using the deaccessioning procedure, France has, on three occassions, enacted special laws. Thus, in April 2002, the French Parliament voted the restitution of Saartjie Baartman's remains held in the Musée de l'Homme in Paris to South Africa. In 2012, the French Parliament authorized the restitution of the Maori Heads held in the Musée de Rouen to New Zealand. In December 2020, France permitted the restitution of twenty-seven artefacts held in the Musée du Quai Branly--Jacques Chirac to Senegal and Benin.