An Australian man has been conditionally released from prison in Iraq, after four years of what the UN has called arbitrary detention.
Robert Pether, a mechanical engineer, was jailed in 2021 on fraud charges amid a contract dispute between the consulting firm he worked for and the Central Bank of Iraq.
The UN has said the 50-year-old's detention was illegal, and an international court has ruled his employer is not responsible for the business disagreement.
Mr Pethers is "extremely sick" and needs urgent medical care, his wife Desree told the BBC. However, he is still banned from leaving Iraq, where Australian authorities say he continues to face legal proceedings.
The family feels numb with shock, said Mrs Pether, who has been tirelessly lobbying for this moment.
