Iraq sentences militia member for kidnapping American journalist, in rare move against Iran proxies

“Iraq's Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Law," read the announcement shared by the victim, journalist Shelly Kittelson.Follow us on GoogleYouths ride vehicles while waving flags of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah in Baghdad on June 15, 2026, during celebrations following the announcement of a deal to end the war between Iran and the US. (photo credit: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images)AUGUST 31, 2026 21:52Iraq has sentenced a man to fifteen years in prison for kidnapping American journalist Shelly Kittelson in late March, the victim announced on social media on Monday.Kittelson was kidnapped on March 31, when she was targeted by Iranian-backed militias, and released in early April.“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,” read her X/Twitter post.She added, “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. And, of course, to those who love Iraq as much as I do and try to build a better future for it. Thank you from the very depths of my being.”Rudaw media in Iraq added that “an Iraqi court has sentenced a key suspect to 15 years in prison under the country's anti-terrorism law in connection with the abduction of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad earlier this year, a case the US linked to the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah armed group.”Journalist Shelly Kittleson on Syria back in March, 2026. (credit: Screenshot/X/Shelly Kittleson)Rare prosecution of Iranian-backed militia memberThe development is important because Iraq rarely prosecutes members of the Iranian-backed militias. In the past, members of the militias have sometimes been detained by authorities, but are often released. There is now pressure in Iraq for the government to rein in the militias, after the US encouraged Baghdad to make progress toward disarming the groups.The militias have been involved in acts of kidnapping and murder for years. In 2020, Dr. Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated by gunmen outside his home in the Zeyouneh neighborhood of Baghdad. He was a journalist and security expert. Kataib Hezbollah was also behind the kidnapping of Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in March 2023. She was released in September 2025.Rudaw noted that “the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad on Sunday sentenced ‘the convict - Amir Rahim Jabbar Lazem - to fifteen years in prison’ pursuant to Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Law ‘for the crime of kidnapping the complainant - Shelly Renee Kittleson of American nationality - on March 31, 2026, in the al-Saadoun area’ in the Iraqi capital, read a copy of the ruling obtained by Rudaw.”He has already been detained since April for the kidnapping. Other men were involved in the kidnapping. Video at the time showed other individuals. An eyewitness at the scene at the time told Rudaw that "three people surrounded her [Kittleson] and one of them grabbed her from behind."Kataib Hezbollah suspected to be behind kidnappingKataib Hezbollah, which is believed to have been behind the kidnapping, is one of the most powerful of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. It has been sanctioned by the US as a terrorist organization. It is part of the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces.Its former leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was killed in a US drone strike in January 2020. He was driving in a vehicle alongside IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani, who was the target of the strike and who was also killed. The fact that Muhandis and Soleimani were in the same vehicle illustrates the close ties between the IRGC and Iranian-backed militias.It does not appear Iraq will hold Kataib Hezbollah responsible for the kidnapping or other crimes. Kataib Hezbollah was also likely behind a drone attack that killed three American service members in Jordan in January 2024. It has also been behind attacks on Saudi Arabia.Follow us on Google