Switzerland – Office of The United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights, May 22, 2025
Excellency,
We have the honour to address you in our capacity as Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 52/7, 51/8, 53/4 and 51/21.
In this connection, we would like to bring to the attention of your Excellency’s Government information we have received concerning Mr. Robert Pether, a national of Australia, and a resident of Ireland, deprived of liberty in Iraq since April 2021, and the subject of Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s (WGAD) Opinion No. 70/2021.
Mr. Pether, 50 years old, is allegedly being held in conditions of detention that are considered to fall below international standards regarding the requirements of humane and dignified treatment of all persons deprived of their liberty. As a result, his health status is reported to be rapidly deteriorating. We therefore request that Iraq address his health situation without delay in order to help protect his life and preserve his health, and avoid irreparable harm, including potentially fatal consequences. We further remind the Government of Iraq that its unlawful under international law to arrest, prosecute and/or keep detained any individual for the purpose of leveraging another entity, as such conduct may constitute not only wrongful detention but also hostage-taking.
