UK – Daily Mail, June 25, 2025
A Sydney father and mechanical engineer who was detained in an Iraqi prison for almost four years is still in limbo as conflict in the Middle East escalates.
Robert Pether had been living in a heavily-guarded facility on the outskirts of Baghdad since he was arrested while helping the war-ravaged country rebuild on April 7, 2021.
It was confirmed in early June that he would be released on bail, with the breakthrough lauded by Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the time.
‘His case has been raised with Iraqi authorities over 200 times, including at the highest level by the Prime Minister and myself,’ Senator Wong said.
‘I want to thank Australian officials for their tireless work on Mr Pether’s case.’
But, three weeks later, concerns have grown regarding the engineer’s welfare after the Albanese government was accused of leaving him stranded.
Senator David Shoebridge told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday that the engineer’s security was even more at risk amid the violent escalations in the Middle East.
‘I’m advised that, since DFAT accompanied Robert from his prison release on June 5, there’s been effectively no communication,’ he said.
The Greens politician, who has long been an advocate for Mr Pether, said this was ‘extremely troubling’, particular with the heightened tensions in the region.
‘Robert was already in a perilous situation, having been held to ransom by the Iraqi authorities. Of course, his security is even more at risk with the ongoing violent escalations in the region,’ he said.
Shoebridge said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had previously kept close communication with Mr Pether prior to his release.
‘The dramatic change in behavior is hard to understand,’ he said.
‘In the three weeks since Robert’s release, he’s been in an incredibly vulnerable situation with no financial support, no safe accommodation and no identity documents.
‘At a minimum, you would expect Australia’s embassy in Iraq to be urgently addressing these basic needs so that Robert is safe and he has his documentation in place.’
