Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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In the case of the Canadian and Australian nationals, it was the Prime Ministers' telephone calls and meetings with President el-Sisi that secured their release, nothing else. There was nothing from their departments of foreign affairs or their Ministers for foreign affairs. It was the direct intervention that worked. We welcome all the work the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the officials and the ambassador in Egypt have done, but in the case we are referring to, it has been proven that it was only the direct intervention of the Prime Ministers of the countries concerned that secured the release of those citizens. That is why we are asking our members to support them. There are 426 people on trial. The chances of a mass trial being fair to this Irish citizen is, to put it mildly, limited. Amnesty International has said he has no case to answer.

Reference was made to it being improper to interfere but the Prime Ministers of Canada and Australia interfered, if that is the correct word - I would call it intervening on behalf of their citizens - and they were successful. We must not say we are doing everything possible because everything possible includes the Taoiseach getting involved. Nowhere in that letter did they say that they might get the Taoiseach involved. They are saying they are doing their bit. It did not work for the Canadians until the Prime Minister got involved. That is why we are asking for the Taoiseach to get involved in this particular case in order that President el-Sisi can do what he did for everyone else.