One week since the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad, the International Press Institute demands her immediate release, urging American authorities to use all diplomatic means at their disposal to secure her safe return, including designating her as “wrongfully detained” under the U.S. Levinson Act.
On March 31, Kittleson was standing on a busy streetcorner in central Baghdad when two men approached her and forced her into a car before driving off. One of the cars involved in the abduction was pursued by Iraqi authorities, who were able to capture one member of the kidnapping team.
Kittleson’s kidnappers are believed to be members of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia, according to the U.S. State Department and the Iraqi Interior Ministry. In a social media post made shortly after the kidnapping, the State Department said Kittleson had been warned of threats against her in the days before her kidnapping.
According to Iraqi security officials, Kittleson is believed to be alive and in the southwestern town of Jurf al-Sakhar, about 40 miles from Baghdad. Several days after Kittleson’s abduction, the New York Times reported that members of Kataib Hezbollah had reached out to Iraqi authorities to negotiate a release of Kittleson in return for the release of several detained militia members.
Kittleson is an experienced, award-winning freelance journalist who has lived and worked as a journalist in the Middle East for 20 years, reporting mostly from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. She contributes to U.S.-based and Italian outlets including Al-Monitor and Il Foglio.
“The kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in broad daylight highlights the increasingly emboldened nature of attacks on reporters in the region, as well as the heightened risks faced by freelance journalists reporting in the context of conflict,” said IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette.
“IPI strongly urges American authorities to use all diplomatic tools at their disposal to secure the immediate and safe return of Shelly, including designating her as ‘wrongfully detained’ under the U.S. Levinson Act. We also urge Iraqi authorities to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into this egregious attack on press freedom and to hold those responsible to account.”