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Ibrahim Halawa

Ibrahim Halawa's trial has been delayed yet again

After more than two year’s imprisonment without trial Tallaght teenager Halawa was supposed to learn his fate today.

THE LONG-AWAITED trial of Ibrahim Halawa has been delayed again, this time until December 2015.

The 19-year-old from Tallaght has been imprisoned without trial in Cairo, Egypt for more than two years now.

The trial was postponed (until 15 December) once more as 2 of the 420 defendants at the mass trial were not present, apparently for medical reasons.

This is the same reason the previous trial, in August, was suspended. Today was the ninth time  Halawa has been brought to trial only for the action to be suspended.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has expressed his “disappointment” at the result.

“Ibrahim’s lawyers made an application for his release at today’s hearing with our Embassy’s support for this application being directly conveyed by the lawyers to the Judge,” he said in a statement.

We now have to wait for the Judge to make a ruling on this application.

ibrahim2 Free Ibrahim Halawa / Facebook Free Ibrahim Halawa / Facebook / Facebook

Amnesty International Ireland  have described the situation as ‘farcical’.

“This young Irishman has been awaiting trial for over 2 years now. Today is his 779th day in jail for crimes he did not commit,” executive director Colm O’Gorman said in a statement.

It is increasingly impossible to have any confidence in a justice system that that is flouting its own laws by holding people beyond the provisional detention ceiling , denies them access to lawyers and hands down convictions in grossly unfair mass trials based on no credible evidence without establishing the individual criminal responsibility of each person.
This is truly devastating news for this young man and all who care about him. This situation simply cannot be allowed to continue.
We urge the Irish Government to redouble their efforts to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Ibrahim Halawa. He should be at home with his family and friends, where he belongs, not languishing in awful conditions in an Egyptian prison.

Halawa has been imprisoned since August 2013. He was arrested at the same time as three of his sisters, who were subsequently released.

He, along with his 420 co-defendants, has never been charged, although the accusations levelled against him include:

  • Presence inside a mosque at the time of his arrest
  • Refusal to leave the mosque when requested to do so and when offered safe passage by military police
  • Travelling from a different part of the city with the intention of getting involved in a protest
  • Assisting in locking and barricading the mosque from the inside, according to photo and video evidence

If convicted he faces a possible death sentence.

Read: Ibrahim Halawa has first ‘human contact’ with family in months

Read: Ibrahim Halawa is in “reasonable spirits in trying circumstances”

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98 Comments
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    Mute Féach News
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    May 4th 2018, 9:58 AM

    BREAKING NEWS: Sean Canney tosses coin to decide his future in Independent Alliance.

    246
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    Mute David Huston
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    May 4th 2018, 11:20 AM

    @Féach News: Election coming, must distance oneself from the Sene of the crime, abstaining is not the same as voting against

    68
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    Mute Charliegrl80
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    May 4th 2018, 1:41 PM

    @David Huston: Michael Lowry TD stated on radio over a week ago we’ll have an election within six months before all the new s*crew ups happened! And the worst thing he left the alliance because of noting getting a change of guard for the role he thought he was getting. No fear of him leaving because of the cervical check scandal, that’s not important to them only who got the nod.

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    Mute Bernard Kavanagh
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    May 4th 2018, 2:57 PM

    @Féach News: Maybe 30 pieces of silver.

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    Mute Joe Burke
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    May 4th 2018, 4:16 PM

    @Féach News: independents a waste of space!

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    May 4th 2018, 10:04 AM

    Earth shattering stuff. What will Ireland do now?

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    May 4th 2018, 11:32 AM

    @John Mulligan: build a bigger trough, perhaps?

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    Mute Brian Deane
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    May 4th 2018, 12:23 PM

    @John Mulligan: An ‘Independent Alliance’ is a complete contradiction. Vote for some independent in Galway and who ends up representing you only the likes of Shane Ross and Zappo from Seattle! If it’s a political grouping like the ‘Independent Alliance’ then it can’t represent independents.

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    May 4th 2018, 12:35 PM

    @Brian Deane: Independent = ‘separate and not connected’. Alliance = ‘formally united’. So Independent Alliance is an oxymoron with an emphasis on the ‘moron’ part of the word.

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    Mute Shakka1244
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    May 4th 2018, 10:30 AM

    A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull’s pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.

    “You must be very glad to have me go now,” he said.

    “It’s all the same to me,” replied the Bull. “I did not even know you were there.”

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    Mute John Scott
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    May 4th 2018, 10:10 AM

    It’s my ball and I’m taking it home!

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    Mute Tommy Griffin
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    May 5th 2018, 7:31 AM

    @John Scott: that was exactly what came into my mind

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    Mute Patabake Kennedy
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    May 4th 2018, 9:59 AM

    Hurrah, we are sure going to see some positive changes in policy now. Oh wait.

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    Mute Hans Vos
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    May 4th 2018, 10:38 AM

    So Boxer don’t keep the agreement. What’s new in politics.

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    Mute Mark McDermott
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    May 4th 2018, 10:22 AM

    Flipping a coin for who does the role first, what the f### has this country become when this is how politicians decide things.

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    Mute Brinster
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    May 4th 2018, 10:25 AM

    @Mark McDermott:

    Almost exactly 2 years ago.

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    May 4th 2018, 10:26 AM

    Wow, I’m utterly blown away by this news.
    Oh well back to watching the paint dry on my walls.

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    Mute Eamonn Skerrett
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    May 4th 2018, 10:53 AM

    I would think Boxer made his mind up for him after trying to take all the credit for the flood defences on RTE last night

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    Mute andrew
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    May 4th 2018, 11:24 AM

    @Eamonn Skerrett: yes. Saw that. Tosser Moron busy making himself seem like Noah

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    Mute Martina Flynn Fitzgerald
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    May 4th 2018, 10:50 AM

    How am i going to get through this day?
    after hearing this tragic news!

    58
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    Mute kissmyarse
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    May 4th 2018, 11:58 AM

    @Martina Flynn Fitzgerald: say a decade of the rosary, and you be ok

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    Mute Colm Mcmahon
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    May 4th 2018, 11:20 AM

    He did his two years and is entitled to his over inflated pension now, so why bother sticking around……what a tosser and I am not speaking about the coin.

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    Mute Tony Hogan
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    May 4th 2018, 10:24 AM

    Tossing a coin . He’s tossed his toys out of his pram

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    Mute kissmyarse
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    May 4th 2018, 12:04 PM

    @Tony Hogan: Leo has been rolling him up and down the corridors of Leinster house in that pram shoving his doe doe in his mouth

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    Mute colm mc sweeney
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    May 4th 2018, 10:54 AM

    Why didn’t he just go with the FG badge in the first place? He is FG in everything but name.

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    Mute Rodney Williams
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    May 4th 2018, 1:06 PM

    Good man!
    Close the door on your way out

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    May 4th 2018, 10:11 AM

    Brexit is important

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    Mute Stiofán Na Mara
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    May 4th 2018, 11:26 AM

    I went to a Shannon flood relief public meeting last year and this idiot was one of the speakers.. he and ‘Boxer’ and a number of others didn’t have an ecological thought in their heads.. and we wonder why were in this global mess. Good riddance to all these old paradigm thinkers.. their idiots. There is a new consciousness and understanding emerging on how we go forward with economics, ecology, science and each other. Either go with it or remain regressive and destructive, which is what these morons are. Celebrating a dredging contractor that is contracted to the US milltary in Iraq and elsewhere is nothing to be proud of, neither is destroying the Shannons ecology. Short term, small minded idiotic thinking with not one iota of holistic vision for now or the longterm future.

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    Mute Willy Malone
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    May 4th 2018, 11:36 AM

    Who tá fu(K cares. Staying at trough. Why not pull out and gain some respect…

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    Mute Padraig Maloney
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    May 4th 2018, 11:40 AM

    “Séan Canney has decided to leave the Independent Alliance group” how wound we know?

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    Mute Joseph Duggan
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    May 4th 2018, 12:59 PM

    Still chief whip how much is that worth vote fine gael money no morals

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    May 4th 2018, 5:55 PM

    @Joseph Duggan: 15k pa.

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    May 4th 2018, 2:41 PM

    Wants to keep the 15k extra he receives as assistant whip. Zero morals.

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    May 4th 2018, 12:05 PM

    Remember , be compassionate, somebody , like you and me , just ordinary people, is working themselves up into a tizzy over this. Your pity should know no bounds. do not mock the afflicted.

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    Mute Adrian
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    May 4th 2018, 10:36 AM

    Shows just how stupidly lucrative being a politician in ireland is for these incompetent idiots.

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    Mute Anita Oman
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    May 5th 2018, 9:15 AM

    Thats a pity had many a good banter with Sean in OPW . A gentleman was very well liked he be missed wish him well.

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