CPJ, RSF, Foley Foundation urge US government to designate Shelly Kittleson hostage, mobilize all resources to secure safe, swift release

CPJ, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the Foley Foundation sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on April 3 urging the U.S. government to secure the immediate, safe release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was abducted in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on March 31.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations asked Rubio to formally designate Kittleson as a hostage. This designation would send a clear message that the U.S. government is committed to mobilizing all available resources and diplomatic channels to bring Kittleson home safely and swiftly. 

The three groups also called on the Trump administration to unequivocally condemn the targeting of journalists, regardless of nationality or affiliation, and to take effective measures to seek accountability for such attacks and deter future ones. Journalists reporting from war zones and conflict-affected areas fulfill a vital public service under dangerous conditions, and Kittleson’s work exemplifies that contribution.

Kittleson, 49, is an award-winning freelance journalist who has reported from Iraq and the broader Middle East for more than a decade. She holds full press accreditation, has completed hostile environment training, and was reporting when she was abducted. Journalists, including freelancers, are protected as civilians under the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, regardless of their employment status.

CPJ issued a statement immediately after confirming reports of Kittleson’s abduction expressing concern about her safety and calling on the Iraqi government to do everything in its power to locate her, ensure her immediate and safe release, and hold those responsible to account. CPJ issued a second statement on April 1 detailing Kittleson’s journalistic work and reiterating the Iraqi government’s responsibility to take all necessary measures to secure her release.

According to news reports, video footage shows a car pull up as Kittleson was waiting by the roadside in central Baghdad’s Saadoun Street, and two men bundled her into the back. Iraqi authorities said they chased and intercepted one of the vehicles, which crashed, and arrested one suspect, news reports said.

Three Iraqis with knowledge of the case told CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals, that the detained individual, who was driving the vehicle, was a member of the 45th Brigade of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces. 

Kittleson, who is a resident in Italy, is an experienced freelancer who has worked in multiple conflict zones, including Afghanistan and Syria, reporting for various news outlets, such as the Italian news agency ANSA and Al-Monitor, a U.S.-based publication focused on Middle East affairs. Kittleson’s most recent article, published on March 31 in the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, was about drone and missile strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraq accounts for 10% of the 91 journalists missing globally. Prior to Kittleson’s abduction, two foreign and seven Iraqi journalists were missing in the country, all of whom were confirmed or suspected of being kidnapped. The last U.S. journalist to be abducted while reporting abroad was Steven Sotloff, who was abducted in Syria in 2013 and killed in 2014.

Read the letter here.