Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the case of Robert Pether, which I have previously raised in this House. Mr. Pether has now spent two years in a Baghdad prison after being imprisoned following a dispute between his employer and the Iraqi Government. In March last year, the United Nations working group on arbitrary detention released a report on his detention. The group found it to be in breach of international law and arbitrary. It called for his immediate and unconditional release. I have been advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs, and by the Minister during a recent Topical Issue debate, that officials in the Department continue to engage with Australian officials - Mr. Pether is Australian although he is resident here - and that they are raising concerns with the Iraqi authorities.

3 o’clock

I have sent the Taoiseach correspondence and I ask that he looks at this. Robert's wife and three children live in my constituency. They want their dad back. He has been gone now for over two years. Will the Taoiseach please look at that correspondence and see what more can be done? His situation is more and more grave by the day because there are fears his skin cancer has returned. I ask the Taoiseach to please look at this.

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