The wife of a Roscommon resident imprisoned in Iraq says she’s prepared to go on a hunger strike to highlight her husband’s case.
Australian engineer Robert Pether was sentenced to five years in jail in April 2021 after a contractual dispute between his employer and the Government in Iraq.
Mr. Pether’s wife, Desree will today hold a protest at the Australian Embassy in Dublin in an effort to open a channel of communication with the country’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.
On Tuesday next the Elphin resident will also travel to the Iraqi Embassy in London to further her plea for Robert's release. While the UN says Mr Pether’s detention is illegal and call for his immediate release, just last week the engineer was given a new summons and $50m lawsuit. Desree is concerned for her husband’s health who is confined to a 14-foot cell with up to 30 other men and she says she’s willing to take drastic action to ensure his release.
"This goes from bad to worse, Robert’s health is deteriorating, his mental health; it’s coming up Christmas the kids are getting upset at the possibility of not having him here for another Christmas and I really just need at the highest levels for action to be taken to help Robert. If that doesn’t get things moving even just a little bit then I might look at doing a hunger strike in the future outside the Iraq Embassy in London."
