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

The Tánaiste is aware of the case of Robert Pether, which I have raised in this Chamber many times. He has spent more than two years in a Baghdad prison cell following a dispute between his employer and the Iraqi Government. He has literally been collateral damage. He is an Australian citizen, which limits what the Government can do, and I understand that, but his wife and three children, who miss him dearly, live in my constituency and they are Irish citizens. We have had a report from the UN last March and it concluded that his detention is in breach of international law and arbitrary. It called for his immediate release. Time is moving on, his children are growing up without him and there are fears for his health. There are fears that his skin cancer may have returned and he is not getting the medical treatment he needs. This situation is becoming more grave every day. Will the Tánaiste meet his wife, Desree, to see what more the Irish Government can do to try to bring Robert home to County Roscommon?

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