Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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There is another issue which needs to be borne in mind. This is not identical to the cases of the previous prisoners who were released. This case is different. Amnesty International said that Ibrahim Halawa has no case to answer. In the event that is true, and I accept what Amnesty International says, the procedure being followed so far is the correct one. In the event of there being a different outcome, which happened in the other cases, the ultimate intervention must take place. However, that is a different story. In that case, the judicial process will have been concluded and the matter will then be in the ambit of anyone to intervene in a way that is appropriate. My view is that we do not fire our best shot at this stage as we do not know what the eventual outcome will be. It might well be resented by the courts as they will be conscious of the fact that people in Mr. Halawa's home country and Oireachtas Members are obviously concerned. If one begins to try to influence the court in any jurisdiction, whether one's own or otherwise, it may not go down very well. It is not something we should play politics with either. We should minimise that and recognise that this is a delicate situation. Someone's well-being and possibly their life are at stake, in which case we should proceed in the best way possible to ensure the best possible outcome.