‘Living nightmare’ over for family as father is allowed home from Iraq
‘The kids are getting their dad back – I’m so proud to be Irish,’ says mum after ordeal
IRISH citizen Yasser Eljuboori’s ‘living nightmare’ came to an end yesterday after he was reunited with his wife and three children at home in Ireland after being detained in Iraq.
Mr Eljuboori was detained by Iraqi police on Monday last week while trying to board a flight back to Dublin following a trip to visit his sick mother.
The Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin confirmed yesterday he has returned home safely.
Mr Eljuboori – a well-known anti-corruption activist, was released on bail last Thursday, after being told all charges against him were dropped.
The charges were initially filed by the Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
But just days later he was told he would face two further separate charges.
In a statement, his wife Laura said: ‘The past ten days have been a living nightmare for me, but most importantly for Yasser. I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard to support me and Yasser, and to bring him home to Dublin.
‘I am very grateful to the
Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, for all he has done. He showed a personal interest and genuine concern for Yasser’s wellbeing and for our family.
‘I thank everyone at the Department of Foreign Affairs who have helped so much, particularly the assistance of the Consular Directorate and the staff in the Embassy of Ireland in Jordan; and staff at the European Union Delegation to Iraq.
‘A very, very special thank you to my spectacular lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who answered the phone to a desperate, despairing wife at 1am on Tuesday morning and picked me up with open arms. She led and steered everything. I am so proud to be Irish because of the interventions I have seen, and she is one of our special talents.
‘Thank you so much to barrister Tatyana Eatwell, who worked with Caoilfhionn: she is a beautiful person, as well as being an expert in these desperate situations, and was a calm presence in the storm of this whole ordeal. ‘I cannot thank my family enough. Johnny, Amy, Sally, Kate and my “Spanish
sister” Marga, my parents, and all our family – they are incredible.
‘They dropped everything and all came on board, doing everything I asked of them, and also things I didn’t know I needed, but they knew. From an endless supply of toasted sandwiches and food for the fridge, to logistical help for me and Yasser, to childcare. I could not have got through this without them.
‘To our family in Baghdad, we are forever indebted to you for your heroism and support on the ground. I am also so grateful to our local lawyers in Baghdad.
‘And above all, to Yasser, I want to say that I am so happy he’s
‘I am very grateful to the Tánaiste’
home with me and that this nightmare is over.’
The relieved wife added: ‘I’ll never again take for granted the normal, everyday things: going for family walks, having TV time, playing with our kids on the ground. The kids are getting their dad back, and our house will have its life and soul again. Welcome home, Yasser.’
Mr Martin said: ‘I’m delighted for them because I could see yesterday, meeting Laura, the extraordinary stress that this placed on her and her family over the last ten days and the relief of knowing he was on his way home. We had fingers crossed. We wanted to make sure he’s back on Irish soil. There was hiccups over the weekend, because when the charges were dropped by the prime minister’s office, it emerged there were further charges from the mayor and the head of the investment authority,’ the Tánaiste told RTÉ.
‘I want to thank the Iraqi foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, who I spoke with last week… I rang again Sunday morning following the latest developments and he intervened also there. As a result he got his passport back on Monday morning. I want to thank our ambassador in Jordan, Marianne Bolger, and the entire team there for the consular assistance and the team at headquarters who have worked with the family and obviously the legal teams working with the family. It’s great news.’
He added: ‘I am really relieved and I just hope the family enjoy themselves over the next couple of days – and the reunion.’