Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seán Crowe TD, has criticised the Egyptian Government for continuing to imprison Ibrahim Halawa and the Irish Government for failing to secure his release.

Deputy Crowe said:

“Today marks Ibrahim Halawa’s 1,000 day in prison in Egypt.

“We know that Ibrahim is being unlawfully and unjustly incarcerated in atrocious conditions in Egypt.

“He has had his human rights violated and has no chance of ever receiving a fair trial.

“While the last Irish Government put a great deal of effort into getting Ibrahim released, their approach has been unsuccessful and Ibrahim is still locked up.

“I am calling on this new Government and it’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, to listen to Ibrahim’s legal team and the campaign to free him and to change their softly softly approach.

“It’s time for the Irish Government to stop blindly believing everything that the Egyptian Government is saying in relation to Ibrahim’s case and imprisonment, and that An Taoiseach needs to directly get involved in the case in order to raise Ibrahim’s continued unjust imprisonment with the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.”

ENDS