A Retired British Geologist Was Nearly Sentenced To Death For Trying To Smuggle Stones Out Of Iraq
Twitter/CanvaAfter a months-long process and much stress, Fitton was happily able to reunite with his family.
While on an archaeology tour in Eridu, Iraq, a 66-year-old retired British geologist named Jim Fitton thought to pocket a few rocks and shards of pottery he found lying in the sand as souvenirs.
Unfortunately, Fitton found out that Iraqi law is very strict about smuggling historic artifacts. Anyone found guilty of the crime could be punished by death.
But according to his family, he and other members of the tour were told that they were allowed to pick up anything they found scattered on the ground. Despite this, Fitton and a German member of his group were arrested at the airport when officials discovered the rocks and shards in their luggage in March.
Fitton’s family feared the worst, and pleas with the British Foreign Office seemed to fall on deaf ears. They eventually managed to get 120,000 signatures on a petition to free Fitton, hoping that the retiree would not be sentenced to death.
An Iraqi court initially sentenced Fitton to 15 years in prison — then later overturned that decision and allowed the former geologist to return home. He was reunited with his family in Malaysia, safe but understandably scarred by the experience.
“It was a nightmare, worse than a nightmare,” his daughter Leila said after her father returned home. “I couldn’t really sleep, I feel like I’ve not slept for months.”
