Fifteen years for man convicted of kidnapping American journalist Shelly Kittleson

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison for his part in the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in central Baghdad, according to a court document dated Aug. 30.

Kittleson was seized on Saadoun Street on March 31. Lazim was prosecuted under Article 4/1 of the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2005. The document says she retains the right to seek compensation in the civil courts once the ruling is final.

Kittleson confirmed the sentence on X, writing that the court had convicted Lazim of being one of several armed men who took her hostage, and thanking the Iraqi judiciary and those who helped get her out alive. She has reported from the Middle East for outlets including Al-Monitor, the BBC, Politico and Foreign Policy.

Kataib Hezbollah said on April 7 that it would release her, days after the abduction. Security official Abu Mujahid al-Assaf said the group had decided to free her “in appreciation of the national positions of the outgoing prime minister” on condition she left Iraq immediately, adding that “this initiative will not be repeated in the coming days” and that the group considered itself at war with what he called the Zionist-American enemy. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has repeatedly warned Americans of kidnapping risk in Iraq from Iran-aligned armed groups.