Iraq sentences militia member to 15 years for kidnapping American journalist

Iraq has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittelson, in an uncommon prosecution of a suspected member of an Iran-backed militia.

Kittelson said on social media that the Central Criminal Court convicted Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim under Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law. She said he was one of several armed men who took her hostage in Baghdad on March 31. She was released in early April.

“I am grateful to the Iraqi judiciary for its attention to my case, as well as to all those who helped get me out alive,” Kittelson wrote. She also thanked people who, she said, loved Iraq and worked to build a better future for the country.

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Iraq's Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Law after convicting him of being one of several armed men who took me hostage in Baghdad on March 31.

The ruling, cited by Rudaw, said Lazim received the sentence for kidnapping Kittelsen, an American national, in Baghdad’s al-Saadoun area. He had been detained since April. Other men were also involved in the kidnapping.

The case is notable because Iraq rarely prosecutes members of Iran-backed militias. Authorities have detained militia members in the past, but they have often been released. Pressure has grown on Baghdad to rein in the groups after the United States encouraged the government to make progress toward disarming them.

Iran-backed militias have been linked to kidnappings and killings for years. The article cited the 2020 assassination of journalist and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi and the 2023 kidnapping of Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was released in September 2025.

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I am grateful to the Iraqi judiciary for its attention to my case, as well as to all those who helped get me out alive.