Retired Bath geologist Jim Fitton goes on trial in Iraq on Sunday (May 15). The 66-year-old could face execution over artefact smuggling allegations.
The UK Government faces fresh pleas to personally raise the case with Iraqi counterparts and help end the Fitton family's “nightmare”. But the Foreign Office insists it has already raised the case four times with the authorities in Iraq.
Father-of-two Mr Fitton collected 12 stones and shards of broken pottery as souvenirs while visiting a site in Eridu, in the country’s south east, as part of an organised geology and archaeology tour, his family said. Mr Fitton and a German man on the trip were arrested after the group’s baggage was checked at the airport.
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The former Bath man, who now lives in Malaysia, has been detained for more than six weeks, and an urgent session in the House of Commons to discuss his case was told his trial date has been set for May 15. Mr Fitton’s lawyer, Thair Soud, also said his client will stand trial before Iraq’s felony court from Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
It reported his lawyer will have to prove to a panel of judges that Mr Fitton did not harbour any criminal intent when he picked up shards of pottery found in the desert landscape during the visit. Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said the British ambassador in Iraq has raised the case four times with Iraqi authorities.
But MPs joined Mr Fitton’s family in pressing for ministers to go further in a bid to persuade Iraqi authorities to accept a proposal to close the case before the trial begins. Mr Cleverly defended the UK’s response to the case but failed to commit to meeting the family and was accused by Labour of “dragging his feet” in making the ministerial-level intervention required to help protect Mr Fitton.
Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who represents Mr Fitton’s family based in Bath, told the Commons: “Jim Fitton is potentially facing the death penalty. I urge the minister to do everything they can do to stop this nightmare before it turns into a tragedy.”