SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A British geologist is facing death penalty in Iraq after being arrested at the airport over shards of broken pottery, the Independent cited his family as saying.
Retired geologist Jim Fitton accused of attempting to smuggle historical artifacts out of Iraq is set to stand trial in May, according to the Independent.
Fitton, 66, had picked up shards of broken pottery on a visit to a historical site in Iraq, according to a petition calling on the British government to help facilitate his release, the newspaper reported.
The newspaper said he was assured that the shards had no value.
He was arrested while trying to fly back home from his geology and archaeology tour in Iraq earlier this year.
“The statutory punishment for his alleged crime is execution,” his family said, according to The Independent.
