After Five Years in Iraqi Jail, Australian Engineer Returns to Ireland

Construction engineer Robert Pether, an Australian who was imprisoned in Iraq in April 2021, has returned to Ireland this morning after five years of detention.

The former detainee is looking forward to swapping the concrete walls of his cell for the familiar walls of a Dublin café – and, if the locals are generous, a proper cup of tea.

While the paperwork to clear his release was extensive, the real challenge now is simple: finding a brew that can compete with the imagination of a man who spent half a decade counting tiles in a cell.

Pether’s homecoming marks the end of a saga that began with his and colleague Khalid Radwan’s arrest in April 2021 and concludes with his freedom back on Irish soil.

As he steps onto Irish ground, the only construction project on his agenda appears to be rebuilding his life, one cup of tea at a time.