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7 months ago
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A father-of-four has penned an emotional letter from his prison cell in Iraq where he has been detained for three years in appalling conditions.
Australian engineer Robert Pether was sentenced to a five-year jail term and fined $16 million in April 2021 after seeking to be paid by the Iraqi government for work he had done in the country.
Mr Pether was arrested on fraud charges - allegations he has strenuously denied.
After spending three years in a Baghdad jail, there are grave concerns for Mr Pether's physical and mental wellbeing.
Last week, his wife Desree Pether made a direct plea to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for 'more to be done'.
In an emotional letter, Mr Pether revealed that he feels 'abandoned' by the Australian government and worries he will never get home.
Australian engineer Robert Pether (pictured) was sentenced to a five-year jail term and fined $16 million in April 2021 after seeking to be paid by the Iraqi government for work he had done in the country
In an emotional letter (pictured) Mr Pether revealed that he feels 'abandoned' by the Australian Government and worries he will never get home.
'I have pleaded for three years for Prime Minister Albanese and Foreign Minister Wong to do everything they can to help me and get me home,' he wrote.
'So far, I just feel abandoned. I am sick, and worried I will not survive this ordeal much longer.
'I want to go back to Australia and hear the birds, swim at the beach, sit and watch the harbour while the ferries come and go and feel the sun on my skin.'
Mr Pether and an Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were arrested after being lured to an office with the promise of resolving a dispute over the work they had done on the $1 billion Central Bank of Iraq.
In a trial that lasted just 15 minutes, the pair were found guilty of deception.
'I was forced to sign a pre-written, incriminating confession in Arabic, a language I don't read or understand, after being locked in a cupboard, dehydrated and starved,' he said.
'There was no opportunity to defend myself.'
Mr Pether, who has always maintained his innocence, now has access to an Arabic-speaking lawyer who is 'trying his best' to help.
His wife said she has had to 'talk him off the ledge so many times' since he was first put behind bars.
'Our kids need their dad, and I need him — even if he's a phone call away, still there for them,' she told the ABC News.
'I think that's where he draws his strength from.'
His wife said she has had to 'talk him off the ledge so many times' since he was first put behind bars
Mr Pether (pictured) and an Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan were arrested after being lured to an office with the promise of resolving a dispute over the work they had done on the $1 billion Central Bank of Iraq
His treatment has attracted condemnation from the UN, which has noted 30 violations of international law in the case and classified Mr Pether as a 'hostage'.
Ms Pether shared more of her own fraught state in an emotional Facebook post on Tuesday, revealing that the family is struggling to cope.
'I miss him. All the time,' she wrote.
'He shouldn't still be unlawfully imprisoned in #iraq. He should NEVER have been trapped, arrested and imprisoned in the first place! The treatment of two innocent men is absolutely heinous!'
Mr Pether said he has 'missed so many milestones' while he has been locked up, and is begging his own government 'to do everything they possibly can'.
'Our youngest two boys have finished school and are now young men. Our daughter was 8 when I was arrested and is now 11,' he said.
'I've missed three Christmases and 4 Easters, multiple birthdays, 3 wedding anniversaries, and so much more. I want to go home.'
Daily Mail Australia contacted the Prime Minister, along with the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
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