Ireland – Irish Times, June 06, 2025
Robert Pether, who lived in Co Roscommon, released on bail having spent four years in an Iraqi jail after a contract dispute
Desree Pether only found out at 11pm on Thursday that her husband Robert was being released from an Iraqi jail.
Her phone started pinging but the first call she took was from her husband speaking on his lawyer’s phone from Baghdad. He has been released on bail.
The couple arranged a video call for a short time afterwards and she was shocked at what she and the couple’s three children saw.
They are originally from Australia and moved permanently to Ireland in 2019. They bought an old convent in Elphin, Co Roscommon with a view to turning it into a herbal therapy centre.
Mr Pether, who is a tall man, went into jail in April 2021 at a weight of 115kg (18 stone) and emerged 30kg lighter.
“It was a huge shock,” she said. “We haven’t seen him since he was arrested. He looked like one of those prisoners being released from Gaza.
“He is emaciated. He turned 50 in April, but he looks around 70. He is completely unrecognisable”
