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The family of an Irish citizen, who was being held in jail in Iraq, say the charges he was facing have been dropped.
Anti-corruption advocate Yasser Eljuboori, who holds an Irish passport, was arrested on Monday morning at Baghdad Airport.
He appeared in court in the Iraqi capital this morning where he was informed the charges against him are to be dropped.
He has also been released on bail.
However, a statement issued on behalf of Mr Eljuboori’s family said the Iraqi authorities have retained his passport.
It said he has been informed that there are “two to three days of paperwork” to complete before he will be allowed to leave the country.
His family are now appealing to the Iraqi authorities to ensure his “safe passage home without delay.”
The father of three young children, who has been living in Dublin for the last 16 years, was detained as he was checking-in for a flight to return to Ireland in the early hours of Monday morning.
He was in Iraq for a week-long trip to visit his ailing mother and for a family reunion.
His wife, Laura Wickham, said it was initially claimed that Mr Eljuboori was travelling on a false passport, but his brother and his solicitor in Baghdad were later informed he was being held for defamation.
“They were saying that there was a report from the office of the Prime Minister of Iraq basically saying that he was being defamatory towards the Prime Minister, as a result of his online activism.”
Amid concerns over his treatment in jail, Ms Wickham had last night instructed her international legal representatives to file an urgent appeal with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.
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