Irish-Iraqi anti-corruption activist detained in Baghdad for "defamation"

Shafaq News/ An Irish activist from Iraqi origins has been detained by Iraqi authorities while attempting to check in for a flight to Dublin from Baghdad.

Yasser al-Juboori, originally from Iraq and an Irish citizen, is a prominent anti-corruption blogger and activist who frequently criticises the Iraqi government.

Lawyers working with his family this evening described his detention as “very troubling”, adding that no information had come forth about the legal basis for it.

The father-of-three was detained at Baghdad airport at about 2:30 am yesterday and for most of the day his family had no idea where he had been taken.

At a civil court hearing today, according to a statement from his family, al-Jubouri was remanded in custody for another two days but no explanation has been given for his continued detention.

The family has since been informed that the allegation is that, “through raising corruption concerns on social media”, he has defamed Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

His family have today launched a campaign entitled #FreeYasser, calling on the Iraqi authorities to release him. He and his wife Laura Wickham have three children aged five, four, and two.

Laura, a school principal from Dublin, told The Journal yesterday that the activist had gone to visit his sick mother and his sister who had also flown into Baghdad from the United States.

“He was supposed to fly home with Turkish Airlines through Istanbul and he was checking in at about 2:30am,” Laura said. “I got a phone call from his brother at about three o’clock saying that he’s been blocked, and that they were not letting him out, and that I needed to contact the consulate immediately and put pressure on the Iraqi government and the Department of Foreign Affairs to make contact and get him out.”

Confusion followed his arrest without any clear indication as to why he had been stopped. Yasser was travelling on the same Irish passport he had used to enter and leave Iraq without incident last September.

Laura explained that Yasser’s brother, who is a police officer in Baghdad, told her he had disappeared shortly after being detained and that none of his family knew where he was.

After he was detained, Laura said, “his brother reported that he was in the police station, and then it was going to a civil case and that he would be going to court”.

“That story came out later in the afternoon, but since then he’s gone missing and nobody knows where he is,” she said.

Asked if she had heard what the charge against al-Jubouri, she said, “No, nobody knows. Originally, they said that his passport was false, that it was a fake passport. But we’ve travelled all over Europe since he got it.”

She added that she has copies of the document that have been verified by the Department of Foreign Affairs, who she quickly contacted for help. The Department has referred her to the Irish embassy in neighbouring Jordan, she said.

“His brother (the police officer) said it was the Iraqi intelligence that are the ones who have detained him. It wasn’t immigration,” Laura said.

Yasser’s supporters took to social media calling for his release upon hearing the news he had been arrested.

The family have sought the services of international lawyers Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC and Tatyana Eatwell of Doughty Street Chambers.

“Given grave concerns recently raised by the United Nations regarding prison conditions in Iraq and flagrant disregard for fair trial rights, this case could not be more urgent,” the lawyers said.

“We call on the Iraqi authorities to comply with their international obligations and release him immediately and unconditionally, and allow him to return home to Ireland.”