{
  "id": 14932436,
  "title": "'I was innocent': Former Dubai resident gives first interview after five-year detention in Iraq",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/i-was-innocent-former-dubai-resident-gives-first-interview-after-five-14932436",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T10:15:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/16/robert-pether-detained-in-iraq-former-dubai-resident/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Dubai resident Robert Pether, 50, has given his first interview after spending five years in an Iraqi prison. Pether was detained in 2021 over a contract dispute between his employer and Iraqi authorities. He was released in June last year but remains barred from leaving the country due to financial issues related to the case. Pether recently underwent surgery for high-risk skin cancer, which worsened while in prison. He is now focused on adjusting to freedom, spending time with his family in Ireland, and seeking justice for the \"horrific experience\" he endured. Pether claims he was innocent and will work with lawyers to address the injustice. He urges others who have been wrongfully imprisoned to persevere and not give up.",
  "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": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "'You have to keep fighting': Former Dubai resident gives first interview after five-year detention in Iraq",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/you-have-to-keep-fighting-former-dubai-resident-gives-first-interview",
        "published": "2026-10-15T13:07:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}