A former Dubai resident detained in Iraq for more than five years said being allowed to return to his family shouldn't mask the injustice he was forced to endure.
Australian engineer Robert Pether, 50, was reunited with his family in Ireland on Monday after being allowed to leave Iraq having been sent to jail over a contract dispute involving his employer.
Mr Pether was released from prison last year but had to remain in Iraq because he was barred from leaving due to financial claims linked to the case.
Mr Pether and his Egyptian co-worker Khaled Radwan, both of whom lived in Dubai at the time, had travelled to Iraq for what they expected to be a routine business meeting but ended up being jailed in August 2021 and fined $12 million over a contract dispute between their employers and authorities in Baghdad. Mr Radwan has now also left Iraq.
“I was an engineer,” said Mr Pether, speaking at a press conference on Monday. “I was an employee doing my job. I had a wife and children waiting for me at home. I was there because I made a choice to help a war-torn country rebuild. I never came home.”
The travel ban Baghdad had imposed on Mr Pether and Mr Radwan led to the office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to push for their release. That followed a call from Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, calling for Mr Pether to be allowed to return home to his family.
Since his release, Mr Pether had stayed either with friends or in hotels, with the cost of food and accommodation falling on him and his family.
Health issues
During his detention, Mr Pether's health deteriorated, which led to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issuing a statement in June, highlighting the “particularly alarming” situation, which was compounded by a lack of access to specialist medical care and the psychological toll of his “prolonged detention and uncertainty”.
Mr Pether said that “coming home today should never be mistaken for that injustice somehow having been corrected. It wasn't. Not even close. Coming home is not exoneration and being allowed to leave is not justice.
“Our convictions have not been overturned. Neither of us has been exonerated. We were innocent when we were taken on April 7, 2021 and we remain innocent today.”
Mr Pether said that when he was released from prison he was only hours from death, with his body shutting down, after months of critical illness and excruciating pain, only to find that he remained trapped in Iraq.
“I didn't have my passport, visa or identity documents and I had no ability to move around freely or safely, leave the country or even go to a hospital,” said Mr Pether.
“Travel bans prevented me from returning to my family and from accessing the medical treatment I desperately needed outside Iraq.”
Mr Pether said he was forced to sign a waiver before being allowed to leave Iraq and return to his family.
“I signed it because I wanted to go home. There was no choice. After more than five years, with my health deteriorating and my family waiting for me, there was no meaningful choice between signing a document and remaining trapped in Iraq,” he said.
“So, I want to be very clear about something. I am incredibly grateful to be standing here. I am overwhelmed to finally be home. But gratitude for being home does not erase what happened to me for even one second. Freedom should never have been something that had to be bargained for.”
He also spoke of the emotional impact felt by his family and praised his wife for her campaigning on his behalf.
“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 to bring me home,” said Mr Pether.
“They grew up with uncertainty, fear and circumstances no child should ever have to carry. I am so thankful for my wife Desree, 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.”
Government support
Ms Wong released a statement on Monday morning. “The Australian government welcomes the Iraqi government's decision to allow Robert Pether to leave Iraq today,” she said. “I spoke to Mr Pether shortly before his departure from Baghdad and am pleased he is now free to move forward with his life and be reunited with his family.
“Mr Pether had been imprisoned in Iraq for more than four years and was later subject to travel restrictions that prevented him from leaving the country.
“I thank the Australian officials whose tireless work helped achieve this outcome, as well as the Irish authorities for their close co-operation throughout this process. I wish Mr Pether and his family all the very best as they reunite,” Ms Wong said.