Iraq: US journalist abducted in Baghdad

Shelly Kittleson, a freelance American journalist who had been covering news from Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 31 March and has been detained since by a suspected Iraqi paramilitary group. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is calling on the Iraqi authorities to do everything in their power to secure Kittleson's immediate and unconditional release.

Credit: AFP.

Shelly Kittleson is a Rome-based award winning freelance journalist who has focused on the Middle East and on Afghanistan, and who has been reporting from Iraq, Syria and the region for years. She has worked for media organisations such as Al-Monitor, BBC and Politico.

On 31 March, Kittleson was abductedin front of her hotel, in the centre of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, by unidentified individuals who approached her in a car. In a later pursuit, the Iraqi security forces intercepted one of the two cars involved in the abduction, after it crashed, and arrested a suspect. Dylan Johnson, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, alleged that the suspect is linked to Kataib Hezbollah, a paramilitary group in Iraq. Iraqi officials didn't identify the suspect or the suspects' affiliation, and the search for Kittleson is ongoing. According to statements by Iraqi and US officials, Kittleson was aware of the kidnapping threats against her.

The IFJ affiliates in the US, the News Guild-CWAand the National Writers Unionhave called for Kittleson's safe release. They have also highlighted how, due to a lack of institutional protection, freelance journalists are at greater danger of attacks on the press.

The IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said:"We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Shelly Kittleson and call on Iraqi authorities to do their utmost to free her and to hold the perpetrators responsible." Bellanger added that"The safety of freelance journalists, who risk their lives to report on conflicts, must be a priority."