ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A court in Baghdad has sentenced a suspect to 15 years in prison for allegedly kidnapping American Journalist Shelly Kittleson in March.

Kittleson, an independent journalist who has reported extensively from Iraq and across the Middle East, was kidnapped in central Baghdad on March 31. Iraq’s influential pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah announced her release a week later, on the condition that she leave Iraq “immediately”.

“The criminal (Amir Rahim Jabbar Lazem) is sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment… for the crime of kidnapping the complainant (Shelley Renee Kittleson / American citizen) on 31/3/2026 in al-Saadoun area,” read a document from Baghdad’s Rusafa appellate court, dated August 30.

The document emphasized that Kittleson retains the right to “claim compensation” before civil court.

The ruling was issued in accordance with Article 4 of Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law, which normally stipulates the death sentence for the main perpetrators of acts of terrorism, but the court also cited Article 132 of the Penal Code for the more lenient penalty.

Article 132 of the Iraqi Penal Code states: “If the court considers that the circumstances of a felony or of the offender call for leniency, it may substitute a lesser penalty for the penalty prescribed for the offense,” while emphasizing that the subsitute penalty should be no less than 15 years imprisonment.

Kittleson was in the country to cover the effects of the US-Israel war against Iran. She has extensively reported on pro-Iran militias in Iraq in the past, and reportedly received warnings of potential threats prior to her abduction.

Iraq remains a difficult environment for journalists. Reporters, particularly freelancers, face risks including harassment, detention, and abduction. Kidnappings of journalists, activists, and dual nationals have occurred periodically in Iraq, often linked to militia activity.

In September, Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov was released over two years after she was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah. Her release was publicly welcomed by US President Donald Trump.