'It has been a living nightmare', says wife of anti-corruption advocate detained in Iraq

The wife of a renowned anti-corruption advocate who holds an Irish passport is extremely concerned after reports he has been ‘beaten’ after being detained in Baghdad, Iraq.

Yasser Eljuboori, an Irish citizen originally from Iraq, was denied permission to leave the country to return to his family in Ireland and has been detained in Baghdad, Iraq, since Monday, February 26.

Last night, Yasser’s family filed an urgent appeal with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, after reports that their loved one has been beaten and blindfolded while in detention.

“Mr Eliuboori's wife, Laura Wickham, has learned that he has been seriously mistreated in detention. It is now known, from information available to his family members and his local legal representatives in Baghdad, that Mr Eljubooir has been beaten, blindfolded, and transported to different locations, making it difficult for family members to locate his whereabouts,” reads the statement sent to the UN by the family.

Speaking from her home in Balgriffin, Dublin, Laura Wickham said: “It has been a living nightmare for me and my family this week. Learning that Yasser had been mistreated made me feel sick to my stomach. We are bringing an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture to protect Yasser and keep him safe. I hope that the UN Special Rapporteur and the Irish Government will do all they can to ensure the Iraqi authorities do the right thing, and let Yasser come home to his family where he belongs.”

After learning of the news, Ms Wickham was instructed by her legal representatives to file an urgent appeal. 

“The appeal submits that Mr Eljuboori is at real risk of further ill treatment in detention given the events of the past three days and Irag's history of ill treatment of prisoners. The appeal refers to prior findings of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, from 2022: the Committee expressed concerns at the widespread use of torture and ill treatment and lack of accountability, especially during the investigation and pre-trial stages, in official and unofficial places of detention in Iraq.' According to the United Nations Mission for Irag and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, torture and other forms of ill treatment are "a reality in places of detention throughout Iraq" and allegations of torture and ill treatment of detainees are commonplace,” further states the appeal.