Shelly Kittleson — Imprisoned Journalist Case File

§ 01Dispatch

Updated May 26, 2026

Shelly Kittleson is a journalist with Freelance in Iraq. Missing since March 31, 2026.

01Role: Journalist
02Event start: March 31, 2026

§ 02Case registry

Structured fields

NameShelly Kittleson

CountryIraqIQ

EmployerFreelance

RoleJournalist

ArrestedMarch 31, 202659 days held

GenderFemale

StatusMissing

SourceCommittee to Protect JournalistsPress freedom registry

§ 03Intelligence

Live analytics

Derived signals — what this case looks like compared to the rest of the dataset. Each number below is computed live from open records; we show the inputs so you can audit the math.

Urgency ScoreMetric 01 · /100

10/ 100

Stable

StableWatchAcute

InputsN = 1

days held since detention

case developments this quarter

medical or legal flags raised

Country RiskMetric 02 · /100

75/ 100

High-risk jurisdiction

OpenMixedClosed

Inputs · RUSSIACPJ + PPW

jailed journalists in CPJ records

arrests in the last year

active press-related cases

Outlet ExposureMetric 03 · Count

0Detained Now

Standard

NoneSomeTargeted

Staff InputsCPJ Records

staff member tracked in CPJ

arrested in the last year

convictions to date

Calculation source & inputsclick to expand ↓

Urgency Score

Deterministic 0–100. Weighted sum of: torture reported (25), health concerns (15), pre-trial detention > 365 days (20), held > 3 years (15), restrictive jurisdiction (10), severe charges — terror / espionage / anti-state (10), editorial critical flag (5).
Source: case record + arrest / charge history from CPJ, OVD-Info, Memorial, Viasna.

Country Risk

Composite 0–100. Combines RSF World Press Freedom Index rank, Freedom House “Not Free” status, UN HRC membership, and live counts of CPJ-jailed journalists in the jurisdiction (total & trailing 12 months).
Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Freedom House, OHCHR, CPJ Prison Census.

Outlet Exposure

Count of CPJ-tracked staff from the same outlet currently detained, plus arrests at that outlet in the last 12 months. Surfaces whether the case is part of a wider crackdown on a single newsroom.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Prison Census, cross-linked by employer.

Recomputed live from open records. Full pipeline documented at /methodology; raw API at /api/prisoners/:id/intelligence.

§ 04Source attribution

CPJ

Sourced from

Committee to Protect JournalistsIndependent nonprofit promoting press freedom worldwide. CPJ maintains the canonical record for this case.

View on CPJ ↗

§ 05Take action

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