Iraq Sentences Militiaman to 15 Years for Kidnapping US Journalist

Iraq sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to fifteen years in prison on Monday for kidnapping American journalist Shelly Kittelson, a move described as rare against Iran proxies.

Kittelson announced the sentencing on social media, stating Iraq's Central Criminal Court convicted Lazim under the Anti-Terrorism Law for being one of several armed men who took her hostage in Baghdad on March 31. She was kidnapped on March 31, targeted by Iranian-backed militias, and released in early April, hours before the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.

Rudaw media in Iraq reported the US linked the case to the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah armed group. A judicial source confirmed the ruling's authenticity to AFP, and a Kataeb Hezbollah source confirmed the sentence involved one of its members. This development is because Iraq rarely prosecutes members of Iranian-backed militias, who have historically been detained but often released.

There is ongoing pressure in Iraq for the government to rein in these militias, with the US encouraging Baghdad to disarm the groups. The militias have been involved in acts of kidnapping and murder for years, including the 2020 assassination of journalist and security expert Dr. Hisham al-Hashimi. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s new government seeks to bring Iran-backed armed factions under state control. Washington designates several of these groups as terrorist organizations and presses Baghdad to curb Tehran’s influence. Efforts to disarm these groups have faced resistance.