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Updated at 11.10pm
FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER Alan Shatter made an unexpected appearance with the sisters of jailed Irish teenager Ibrahim Halawa on the Late Late Show tonight.
The Fine Gael TD was on the programme to help ramp-up pressure on Egyptian authorities for the Dubliner’s release – and he said that if the current situation continued indefinitely, Ireland should “question the nature” of diplomatic relations with the north African country.
Ibrahim Halawa has now been held at the Torsa prison on the outskirts of Cairo for 19 months.
He and his sisters Somaia, Fatima and Omaima were arrested at the al-Fateh mosque in August 2013 while attending a march against the ousting of former president Mohammed Morsi.
“I took an interest in this right from the beginning when I was still Minister for Justice,” Shatter said – after being introduced mid-way through the segment.
In cases of this type, the standard approach from the Department of Foreign Affairs would be “that we can’t interfere in the domestic legal arrangements of a friendly foreign country,” the former minister said.
However, he said, “Ibrahim’s now been in jail for over a year and a half. I’ve enormous concerns about the nature of any trial – should it take place”.
There’s been four occasions now when the trial was to take place and has been postponed. It’s now supposed to take place on the 29th of March.
“But the form of trial in Egypt will involve Ibrahim and 490 other people being effectively in a cage in a courtroom. And no individual’s human rights, civil rights can be protected – no lawyer can properly represent any person in circumstances where you have a mass trial.”
Diplomatic relations
“I think we need to say as strongly as we can, please release this young man,” Shatter said, when asked what could be done to increase pressure on the Egyptian government.
He said that while he was aware foreign affairs minister Charlie Flanagan was working hard for the teenager’s release, and that it was being “pushed hard” by the Government ”there are certain things you can say if you’re not a government minister”.
“We have very good diplomatic relations with Egypt,” Shatter observed, adding:
I think now this has reached a point where we should question the nature of our diplomatic relations, if this continues on indefinitely.
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Why did Tubridy not ask the sisters why they were on stage at the rally advocating Sharia Law? They’ve tried to remove all the video evidence of this from the internet.
They must have succeeded because I found no trace of it by doing a Google search.
When you tear up your Irish passport you gotta……’Walk like an Egyptian’.
Turbidiy is a waste of space , this crowd represent the Muslim Brotherhood an organization that the Egyptians consider a terrorist group , the sisters have lied for the last year and a half about why they were there , re his passport being taken by the Egyptians ? , is this the one he ripped up on one the videos since removed that they posted after their ‘ holiday / wedding ‘ they claimed initially to be attending , I wouldn’t want him locked up but those sisters wouldn’t tell the truth , by the way , where was Daddy ? Because he is the reason the son is still locked up , since he is the head bottle washer for the Muslim Brotherhood
The usual waffle from Tubirdy. A soft interview with no difficult questions regarding Why were they involved in a Political Protest in a foreign country, What is their relationship to the Muslim Brotherhood etc.
Why are we pandering to this family?
INFIDELS !
Ryan Tubridy has the interviewing skills of a wet teabag…..
My box of Lyons will be seeing you in court for defamation. Lawyer up.
They are all about as Irish as tom cruise in far and away
His accent was better though
Shatter is like a bad smell that won’t go away
And the half-hearted audience who really couldn’t give a flying shite. Thin gruel. Must find another cause through which to win back popularity!
The Late late show last refuge for politicians on their final lap….
Bollocks to that
Oh my god what waffle why did they go there this will come back to haunt us Jesus wept!!
Tubs can’t interview a wet sliced pan.
As Ryan said to the sisters I wish ye well who knows we might be having a different conversation next time I bet ye will jesus wept
What is the Jewish torahs opinion of Islam or other gods
Islam didn’t exist when the torah was written so I would consider it highly unlikely that it has a specific policy on it, not impossible of course just highly unlikely, I like to allow for divine intervention in religious matters.
Fair play to him a worthy cause to support.
Worthy me hoop
Correct me if I’m wrong please. This teenager had an Irish passport..travelled to Egypt to fight, tore up his Irish passport and declared his allegiance to someone/someparty and now wants the Irish government to selotape his destroyed passport back together and declare he’s Irish.
Get lost…we’re not complete idiots…they have some cheek.
And for them to be given air time on the national broadcaster….now i’ll never pay my licence again
Our government needs to work a bit harder for this young lad
They give tubrity to much already
Why? Plain to see he supports Islamist extremists why did they go back?
Why? He was told not to travel in the first place then he destroys his Irish passport
Their brother is an Irish citizen. Regardless of your opinion of his political or religious point of view, under Irish law he should not be detained without trial under due process. He should be released and allowed home.
If he’s IN Ireland. If I go to China, I obey Chinee law. I go to Egypt, Egyptian law. An Egyptian national comes here, Irish law wins. What’s your problem?
He actually holds dual citizenship so the Egyptians are holding him as one of their own. But that shouldn’t really bother him considering he referred to himself as “an Egyptian living outside”.
He is “home”
Anne..yes the laws of any state are the business of that state . However , people in a fair democracy who are arrested are usually charged with breaking a law or committing an offence…problem here is that this 19 yr old hasn’t been accused of or charged with anything. That’s why he should be realised…
Amnesty International call to free 18yr old Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa http://www.amnesty.ie/content/egypt-court-try-494-people-over-protests | Call on @CharlieFlanagan to act
He’s credible
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