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OVER 100 PEOPLE attended a vigil outside the gates of Leinster House this evening in support of Ibrahim Halawa, the young Irish man imprisoned in an Egyptian prison.
Supporters of Halwa gathered outside Leinster House calling for his human rights to be upheld.
A petition signed by around 5,000 people was presented to Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone.
The demonstration was organised by campaigning organisation Uplift.
“Ibrahim Halawa has been imprisoned without trial since August 2013, and the Irish Government’s inaction has been shocking,” said spokesperson for Uplift Emily Duffy.
“Ibrahim is now on hunger strike and time is running out.
Diplomatic efforts have failed and we are calling on the Irish Government to do everything within their power to get Ibraham home immediately including taking legal action.
Dublin-born Halawa has been held without trial in Egypt since being arrested at a protest in Cairo in August 2013.
His 20th trial is due to be held tomorrow, after 20 previous hearings were cancelled.
Despite numerous requests by the Irish government that he be freed, Egyptian president el-Sisi has said that he could only consider pardoning him when his trial is complete.
Dáil
Speaking today in the Dáil, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett called for Government action on Halawa’s case.
“His life is literally on the line and human rights organisations such as Amnesty have pointed out that his continued imprisonment represents an inexcusable violation of international and Egyptian law,” said Boy Barrett.
An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that he had sent another “urgent letter” yesterday evening to el-Sisi, asking that Halawa be released on humanitarian grounds.
“The Egyptian President has been quite clear and very consistent all along that he can only use his presidential powers of pardon after a court case has actually taken place,” he said.
A Government spokesperson confirmed earlier today that the Department of Foreign Affairs had arranged for an Irish doctor to travel to Cairo to visit Halawa in prison on 29 March.
This was following reports from Halawa’s family that he was “dying” in prison. The family said he has developed a skin disease from staying in the prison hospital in which he is held.
The doctor – a GP – reported concerns for Halawa’s condition and said he needed urgent specialist evaluation and should be brought to Ireland to facilitate the tests.
“Our Embassy in Cairo has already formally requested the follow-up tests be carried out without delay,” the spokesperson said.
The prison authorities have given our Ambassador and the Irish doctor assurances that this will be done.
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And the award for the most halawa stories in the media in the space of a year goes too………..…………
THE JOURNAL.
Congratulations!
@Ciaran: Replacing the attention of… http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/fine-gael-senator-who-owed-10147029
@Clever Jake: He did go to a foreign country in the midst of a civil war with the intention of over-throwing the Government?
17 year old Irish kid protesting a brutal unelected military dictatorship.
Just like many kids would do in Dublin in similar circumstances.
Sure he was only on his wee holidays
@Clever Jake:
I recommend you change you user name it doesn’t suit you at all.
@Diarmuid:
A parliamentary statement by the Speaker of the House, Ali Abdel Aal, said: “In summary, Halawa belongs to a terrorist group [Muslims Brotherhood]. He has committed hostile acts which were rejected by laws and customs and which led to the desecration of one of God’s houses [a mosque]. He is also accused of abusing police forces, rioting and putting the safety of citizens at risk; all of which are acts that the Egyptian law criminalises with the most severe penalties.”
–
Some protest/Holiday
Keep him in Egypt. The Irish Government should keep out of it
@Just Some Guy: the egyptians won’t like doctors other than their own interfering. they’ve just made it harder for them. they should have just made sure he was seen to by a doctor. they’ll ask, whats wrong with ours? and take insult. Kenny and Co. have been insulted us for the past few years so it should be understood by all.
@Just Some Guy: The Irish Government should always protect the fundamental human rights of its citizens, including this Irish citizen.
Huge turnout for the vigil. The other 4985 people on “the scroll” must have been busy.
@Keith D’Arcy: It took over a year to get the 5000 signatures. Laughable, and shows how little support he has.
Was the dad out protesting tonight, or is he heading over to Egypt to support his son?
Wow, over 100 people! That only leaves ~4.6 million who didn’t attend!
You’d think these cats would go and protest outside the Egyptian embassy since it’s the Egyptians who have the Egyptian locked up. Maybe none of them thought of that yet!
The useful idiots never think things through, that’s why they are idiots.
Sharia law removes the freedoms from other groups which his supporters so desperately claim he deserves to have. Why should we support that?
Am I wrong but was he not on hunger strike a few months ago , jeez how long does it take to starve
These constant articles on him are getting boring. Who cares!
@The Big Bad Wolf: the articles always attract a lot of views and comments.
@The Pope: well said pope , the do gooders in this country are hilarious, the man as you said went to Egypt to protest and speak on behalf of the Muslim brotherhood who want us all to be slaves of Islam , now he’s locked up he’s Irish
@Alois Irlmaier: Very interesting Alois, this is just the first paragraph;
“Despite a relatively small Muslim population, Ireland
has become an important center for the Global Muslim
Brotherhood in Europe. Two organizations, the Islamic
Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI), funded by a foundation
controlled by the ruling family of Dubai, and the Muslim
Association of Ireland (MAI) have strong ties to each other
and to the Federation of Islamic Organizations of Europe
(FIOE), essentially the Muslim Brotherhood of Europe. The
ICCI and its leaders have a history of support for fundamentalism,
religious intolerance, and terrorism while the MAI
has a history of Palestinian and anti-Israeli activism. Despite
this record, the Irish Muslim Brotherhood enjoys good relations
with the Irish government.”
How is standing outside Leinster house with a sign going to help? If you are so concerned, off to Egypt with your sign and see how that works out for you
People should be contacting Katerine Zappone and demanding why she is meddling with the affairs of another country and how they conduct their legal matters with a citizen of theirs.
She should also be asked why, of all the Irish imprisoned overseas, is this gentleman receiving extraordinary coverage and support.
Unbelievable that our elected politicians seem more concerned about the welfare of an Egyptian national overseas then public living in Ireland who elected them.
Skin disease? Bring to Ireland and facilitate tests? I honestly think his healthcare is probably better in Egypt.
@Alois Irlmaier: it will take 2 years to read , what’s your point , those of us with our eyes open know what the brother hood are about , so your point is ??
Will pickup a pack of popcorn for the morning train ….
Where are his parents during all these protests ?.
He apparently tore up his Irish passport and demonstrated for the Muslim Brotherhood. Well, tearing up the document was rather thick, but at the time Mohamed Morsi was overthrown in 2013 this protest might have been considered fair play. This happened at a time when the Middle East was supposed to have democracy, but apparently only when certain people are chosen.
I can understand Halawa’s anger at the time. I thought the Morsi presidency might have worked out and felt very disappointed. I can’t understand why this lad would deny his Irish identity, but whichever way, he’s Irish born and therefore Irish, and should be helped and brought home. As simple as that.
I guess this is the minority view, but there it is…
@Mick Tobin:
He is being helped and he is in his self-described home already.
@Naberius: We’re talking about a 16 or 17 year old kid at the time, and the constitution is not such that such a statement of identity is recorded or asked. If you think it should be, then call for the constitution to be changed so it only applies to ‘real Irishmen’ or whatever. As things stand, this lad is entitled to consular assistance.
@Mick Tobin:
He’s receiving oceans of consular assistance.
I didn’t mention anything about whether I consider him to be a real Irishman.
He was 17 almost 18 at the time and the wearer of a full beard. His parents and siblings are responsible for Ibrahim’s predicament, they lead him to an Egyptian jail. This nonsense should be nothing to do with Ireland.
He’s an Egyptian in Egypt, his problems are all of his own making.
@Mick Tobin: There’s never been proof of him ripping up his passport. The privileged parasites here will just sit back, sip their wine and believe what they want to believe.
@Naberius: His problems are apparently to a substantial degree of his family’s making then.
It’s unfortunate that when immigrant background kids turn rebellious, they rebel against the west rather than against their folks – the latter was the spurious ‘assumption of normality’ under which immigrant communities entered western Europe in the previous decades.
But I see your point, it’s a classic is/ought distinction. I think it is the case that it has everything to do with Ireland since Halawa is Irish, you think it ought not have anything to do with Ireland. That’s a common split in this too-long running discussion.
@Mick Tobin: And he doesn’t deny his Irish identity. From the videos I’ve seen he’s very proud of his country of birth. It’s possible to have a deep felt attachment to your ancestral home and your country of birth, but some narrow minded (people who tend to travel no further than Spain in their lives) can’t seem to get their heads around that fact.
@Naberius: I don’t know why people are finding that so difficult to understand. .
@Suzie Sunshine: Reasonable people tend to find mindless, factless rants, a little confusing for obvious reasons
@Soccer T’s: Fair enough. I’ve been assuming this from what I’ve read, admittedly chiefly here, but even if he did tear it up in the heat of the moment of a valid 2013 demonstration after a coup that pissed a lot of people off including myself, I would have considered that something which can be forgiven.
And yes, I understand the multiple connections an individual can have, even if I sometimes see it get to an unhealthy degree, viz. the Turkish diaspora. But also in that case, I don’t simply consider them Turkish, and this takes a bit of effort, since it’s the sense of rejection in the new country that’ll push people back into their own groups (which is a self-reinforcing phenomenon and almost impossible to stop).
@Soccer T’s: this bloke deserves a trail but tell me why he has got so much attention compared to others in trouble abroad ? What’s so special about him ?
@Mick Tobin: Lets see what Ibrahim has to saw on the matter
“I live in Ireland, but Egypt is my home”
Fairly conclusive
“In 1992, Sheikh Hamdan Ben Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy
Governor of Dubai and Minister of Finance & Industry in
the United Arab Emirates, agreed to fund new facilities
for the Dublin Muslim community.
A 4-acre site in Clonskeagh, South Dublin, was purchased with a £5 million donation from the Maktoum family and included a training center, which in 1993 became the location of the Muslim National School.
Later on, Sheikh Hamdan agreed to sponsor the construction of a Mosque and Islamic Centre on the same site. Work started on the new Mosque and Centre in 1994 and was completed in 1996. The Irish President, Mary Robinson, opened the new mosque and cultural center in Dublin on 14 November 1996.”
Alan Snackbar !
He shouldn’t have gone there but he deserves a fair trial and yet it looks like they rather if he just rot away in jail.
This story is news worthy and yet the doctors who trained here and went to Bahrain and help those who were hurt in the pro democracy rallies in Bahrain were thrown into jails there and were tortured and raped, all because they treated the injured in a pro democracy rally.
That is how the news media works here, can’t say a bad word against Saudi Arabia???
@Mike Cantwell: no, she would to her face, swing around it but behind the doors different story. woeful liars is all I can say, their tried and failed taqiyya! “oh but we’re not against this or that” just to get the foot in to your country, yea right.
5,000 names is not much of a petition given all the publicity this case gets. The only people interested seem to be hard-core political activists. I think most of us have grasped that the kind of Islamic activism this family are involved with is not a good thing for Egypt and may become a very bad thing for Ireland in the future. If he renounced his Islamic politics and committed to a secular view of society I’m sure he would have a lot more sympathy from the people of Ireland.
@Simeon: It took over a year to get 5000 signatures. I’d imagine a lot of them come from the same IP addresses.
Poor people,the government can’t even support their own people not to mention a fella in Egypt.
Minister for bearded children Zappone turns up, enough to said.
@Diarmuid: Ah the old ‘racist’ card pulled by the usual liberal snowflakes, now thankfully long since rendered meaningless by overuse, you and your fellow travellers would be well advised to keep your liberal terrorist comforting words to yourself – you are no better than a partner in crime to these fundamentalist lunatics who may strike Dublin at any time, as they have Berlin and London.
He is not Irish .. the whole family needs to be deported
We need to support the rescue of an Irish citizen whose human rights are being breach by an oppressive legal system which has failed to provide due process and the right o an early and fair trial.
The fundamental human rights of Halawa have been blatantly and seriously breached.
@Tony Daly: Do the politicians care or is it just a photo op for them???
@The Pope: he has no interest in taking away my human rights.
@Tony Daly: Try living under Sharia Law then and see how many of your human rights are taken away.
Is that you again Liam Egan ?
@Tony Daly: Keep him out of the country till the vote on the 8th.
@The Pope: Follow the money???
He should have gone to Majorca for his holiday.
Yawn.
Very
Very
Boring
Article
!
!
!
Did he break the law in another country?
New month, new BS story.
@Alois Irlmaier: Isn’t that usually the way?
@The Pope: evidence is only real evidence when rigorously tested and scrutinised in the course of a fair and impartial trial and competent legal representation.
@Kenneth o brien: nope not the ke! Throw away the jail.!
A lot of Irish commenters very easily ignore the Rule of Law, due process and other civilised Western values.
@Tony Daly:
Just like Egypt.
@Tony Daly: he’s not in a civilised western nation is he?. he knew full well when he traveled over there what could happen. Simple rule to live by you to another country you live by those countries laws. he didn’t so good luck to him he’s on he’s own..
@Tony Daly: Egypt isn’t a western country. You very easily ignore Geography.
@Clever Jake:
Decent people with a bit of cop on shouldn’t care for the welfare of proponents of Sharia law.. Human rights are night a priority in Sharia law, unless you know different?
@Soccer T’s: You speak for a lot of us but perhaps none of the 100 turned up last night which did not include his mammy of his daddy.
@Soccer T’s: 100 isn’t a lot of us. 5000 isn’t a lot of us. No one cares.
@George O Neill: that linked pdf is just commentary. get rid of them, they’re obviously buying their way in and have been for years.
Clickbait….Journal loves bringing out the angry bigots for a good row
@Colm Mcmahon: Now that’s a rant!! Feel better now? Thankfully you don’t speak for a lot of us.
@Alois Irlmaier: Global research is an agenda run and paid for site dig a bit deaper Alois
@Colm Mcmahon: money?
@Donal O Cofaigh: you assume facts which are unproven. I prefer to apl.y the Western notion of the presumption of innocence.
@The Pope: The only way?
Irish citizen incarcerated without due process by a military dictatorship for 3 years.
Fundamental human rights apply as much to this lad as to the racist keyboard warriors on this website.
@Kenneth o brien: He is Irish by law
He might be a Muslim, and he might have been an idiot to get involved in political activity in an unstable country. But he is still an Irish citizen.
It’s pretty shit an Irish citizen’s being tortured and ye’ve not done everything to stop the outrage. Isn’t SHannon long enough for longrange bombers? Can’t ye send a few of the many passing there daily over to intimidate Mr HeMightBA @$t@rdButHe’sOurB@$t@rdarak until He or the State He represents lets the innocent Irish citizen go? What use is your passport otherwise?
“A country that cannot control Her own poets is no country at all”. Erskine Childers. Say the same goes for your passports as your ports as well hate to say I told ye so but anyway
@John O’Driscoll: is English your first language ! As gaeilge may be more appropriate if not
have your say