Irish citizen Yasser Eljuboori, who was detained in Iraq for a number of days last week, has been informed that he faces two new charges and is unable to leave the country.
The anti-corruption advocate, who travelled to Iraq on his Irish passport to visit relatives there, was arrested by authorities at Baghdad Airport on Monday 26 February, as he was due to get on a flight home.
At a subsequent court hearing, his family in Iraq were informed that he was being held due to “defamation” against political leaders.
They were later told that, by raising corruption concerns on social media, he defamed the prime minister of Iraq.
Mr Eljuboori, who regularly highlights corruption issues in Iraq on his X account, where he has almost 75,000 followers, appeared in court last Thursday, when he was informed that previous charges brought against him were dropped, however authorities had retained his passport.
He had been told there would be “two to three days of paperwork” to complete before he would be allowed to return home to his family in Dublin.
However, at a court hearing yesterday, his legal team were informed that two additional charges in relation to social media posts had been filed against him.
No specific information in relation to the charges has been provided.
The charges were brought under Article 226 of Iraq’s penal code, which criminalises “any person who publicly insults” public authorities or officials.
His legal team have said his attendance at court yesterday was for him to collect his passport and belongings, but he was then informed of the new charges.
“Urgent representations” were made to Iraqi authorities yesterday, and his legal team said that as of this morning one of the new charges “is likely to fall away”.
There is due to be a further court hearing in the case tomorrow.
Speaking this morning, his wife Laura Wickham said the past week “has been a rollercoaster of emotions”.
“The initial confusion at Yasser’s disappearance, the terror as I learned the news of his arrest, detention and criminal charges brought against him by the Prime Minister, the relief when he was released, and now despair at these latest developments. This feels like a cruel game, an ongoing torment playing with Yasser’s freedom,” Ms Wickham said.
“Our children miss their dad and I miss my husband. I call on the Iraqi authorities to allow Yasser to return home. Every additional day and hour that he spends in Baghdad puts him at risk of further bogus charges,” she said
She thanked Tánaiste Michaél Martin and Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as the EU and UN for the help they are providing, adding that the “next 24 hours are crucial”.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, a London-based Irish barrister who has taken on Mr Eljuboori’s case, said her client is “being targeted by multiple public officials for his campaigning work highlighting corruption in Iraq”.
She said it was “particularly cruel” that Mr Eljuboori was told that all charges were dropped and that he would be going home within days, “when in fact new charges were being prepared behind the scenes which would keep him trapped in Baghdad, unable to return home to his family”.
