{
  "id": 14703538,
  "title": "'You have to keep fighting': Ex-Dubai resident gives first interview after five-year detention in Iraq",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/you-have-to-keep-fighting-ex-dubai-resident-gives-first-interview",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T13:07:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/15/never-give-up-ex-dubai-resident-gives-first-interview-after-five-year-detention-in-iraq/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Robert Pether, a former Dubai resident and Australian engineer, has given his first interview since being released from five years of detention in Iraq in June 2022. Pether, 50, is adjusting to freedom after enduring a \"dark time\" in Baghdad due to a contract dispute involving his employer, CME Consulting, and the Central Bank of Iraq. He was detained along with his Egyptian co-worker Khaled Radwan, both of whom lived in Dubai. Pether was released from prison but remains barred from leaving Iraq due to financial claims related to the contract dispute. His main priority now is to spend time with his family in Ireland, where they now reside. Pether is set to undergo surgery for high-risk skin cancer that worsened while in prison. He emphasizes the need for accountability for the \"huge injustice\" he faced and urges others facing wrongful incarceration to keep fighting, stating that \"there is an end and a way through.\" Pether drew strength from conversations with his wife, Desree, and his children, as well as guidance from former hostage Terry Waite, who helped him build mental fortitude and resilience.",
  "summary": "A former Dubai resident detained for five years in Iraq over a contract dispute will take time to adjust to freedom and is determined to fight for vindication after the “dark times” he endured. Australian engineer Robert Pether was released from prison in Baghdad in June last year but was barred from leaving the country due to financial claims linked to a case over a contract dispute between his…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}