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 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.