‘Our children lost years with their dad’: Engineer Robert Pether home after detention in Iraq for five years

Australian engineer Robert Pether, who was held in prison in Iraq for five years, has returned home to Ireland. He was welcomed at Dublin Airport by his wife and children, who said they have been “living in hell” since Pether was arrested without charge in April 2021 in connection to a business dispute.The 51-year-old, who had been living in Ireland for a number of years, had been working as a mechanical engineer on rebuilding the Iraqi Central Bank when he was arrested with a colleague from CME Consulting, the Dubai-based company they were working for.There was a contract dispute between his employer and the Central Bank of Iraq, which led to him and his Egyptian colleague being imprisoned.READ MOREAustralian construction engineer Robert Pether speaks to media at Dublin Airport on his return to Ireland after being held in Iraq for five years. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA Wire Pether was released from jail last year due to his deteriorating health, but was banned from leaving the country until last week when an Iraqi court dismissed proceedings against him and lifted the travel ban, citing a lack of evidence.He was allowed to board a flight on Monday to Ireland, via Turkey, after negotiations involving officials in Ireland, Australia, Egypt and Iraq – and Pether’s international pro-bono team at Slaney Advisors, a consultancy specialising in international arbitration.Pether’s wife, Desree, who lives in Co Roscommon, said she was “hugely relieved”. She was there to welcome him home, along with sons Oscar and Flynn. “It’s been an absolute nightmare, especially these last few months,” she said. “So many obstacles and plot twists right up to the last minute.”Robert Pether’s wife Desree Pether at Dublin Airport on his return to Ireland after being held in Iraq for five years. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA Wire Speaking at Dublin Airport, Pether said his family has always fought for him, but that it has had an “enormous toll” on his wife.“There will be time to talk about what happened. Why it happened. Who was responsible. And why nobody should ever be allowed to do this to another person or another family again,” he said.“But today, more than anything, I want to talk about the people who carried us through it.“My wife and my children have lived this every single day with me. Our children lost years with their dad. They watched their mum fight every day to try and bring me home.“They grew up with uncertainty, fear and circumstances that no child should every have to carry.“I’m so thankful to my wife, Desree for always fighting for me, while at the same time holding our family together. All while dealing with a situation that took an enormous toll on her too. She truly is incredible.”Pether was released from prison last year because of poor health, but was prevented from leaving the country. Last week, a court in Iraq dismissed proceedings against him.Pether and his Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were detained in Baghdad in 2021 after flying in for a meeting with bank officials to resolve a dispute they were having with CME Consulting.Pether was later sentenced and fined over allegations that his firm spent money that should have gone to an architect and a subcontractor.In a report in March 2022, the UN working group on arbitrary detention found Pether had been arbitrarily detained in breach of international law.[ Irish resident released from Iraqi prison is deteriorating rapidly, wife saysOpens in new window ]The UN body also found the arrest constituted an “enforced disappearance” and may have involved forms of torture. The working group said it had received complaints that Pether was exposed to extreme cold, threats of death, humiliation and various forms of psychological abuse.“Mr Pether was detained in a [2x2 metre] cell with the lights permanently on,” the working group said in its report. “He was reportedly blindfolded, interrogated, screamed at, threatened, insulted and shown torture rooms.”Following her husband’s release from jail in 2025, Desree Pether said from Ireland she was “grateful to everyone who contributed to this happening”.She had previously been critical of the efforts of Australian officials to secure her husband’s release. The Australian government said it had raised the case with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times.In a statement, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said she was “delighted” at the news. “This brings to an end an extraordinarily difficult period for Robert, his wife Desree and their children,” she said. “I would like to thank the Australian government for all their support to Robert and in securing his release. “I want to acknowledge the efforts of the Iraqi prime minister al-Zaidi, Iraq’s foreign minister Hussein and the hard work and coordinated approach of the Irish Government who have been liaising on Robert’s release for some time. I would also like to thank Irish diplomatic officials for their work on this case.”