BAGHDAD, June 6 (Reuters) – An Iraqi court sentenced a retired British geologist to 15 years in prison on Monday for trying to remove ancient artifacts from the country, a Reuters reporter and court sources said.
Iraqi authorities arrested 66-year-old James Fitton at Baghdad International Airport in March for carrying small fragments of ancient pottery in his luggage.
Jim Fitton of Britain and Walker Waldman of Germany, suspected of smuggling ancient artifacts from Iraq, were escorted by handcuffs by Iraqi police to a court in Baghdad, Iraq, May 22, 2022. REUTERS / Thaier Al-Sudani / File Photo
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A Baghdad criminal court has convicted Fitton of taking artefacts from southern Iraq and trying to transport them out of the country “with criminal intent”, according to a court source, a crime that is usually punishable by death under Iraqi law.
Fitton’s lawyer said he was shocked by the verdict and that Fitton did not know that the pottery fragments were considered artifacts. Fitton will appeal the verdict on the grounds that there was no criminal intent, he said.
A German man arrested along with Fitton for taking fragments of pottery, Volker Waldman, was acquitted on the same charges.
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Report by Charlotte Bruno, Ahmed Rashid, writing by John Davison; Edited by Gareth Jones and Toby Chopra
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
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