British man found with ancient shards in Iraq to stand trial

By SAMYA KULLAB
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — The lawyer of a British national accused by Iraq of possessing small archaeological fragments will be tried next week. The Baghdad attorney for Jim Fitton said on Wednesday that the retired geologist will face a felony court this Sunday, the start of the workweek in Iraq. The charges against Fitton are based on Iraq’s opaque antiquities laws and are — in theory — punishable by death. His legal team and a British official following the case have said they believe this outcome will be unlikely. The attorney now will have to prove to a panel of judges that Fitton did not harbor any criminal intent.