Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The reason this young man's detention has been so drawn out and harrowing is precisely that the Government has not prioritised his safety, welfare and return. I have been speaking to members of the Halawa family and they are not convinced or satisfied that the Government has acted fully and appropriately to secure the safety and freedom of one of our citizens. To visit Mr. Halawa on 40 occasions may sound like an impressive statistic on the part of the Irish system but even if he received 140 visits, it would not be worth a candle to this young man if he continued to be detained in an Egyptian prison.

I asked the Tánaiste two specific questions, both of which she sidestepped. First, I asked her to join me in calling on the Taoiseach to make direct contact with the Egyptian Prime Minister and demand the release of Mr. Halawa. It seems that only this level of intervention will work in this case. In my second question, I did not ask the Tánaiste to commend Amnesty International but to accept, on the floor of the Dáil, the organisation's findings by acknowledging that Ibrahim Halawa is a prisoner of conscience. Unless we have this level of decisive thinking and action from the Government, this traumatic case will drag on and on.

Mr. Halawa's mother visits him every week, having moved to Egypt since he was detained to be close to her son. She does not have any contact with Ibrahim on these visits and sees him behind wire. She cannot comfort or console him or give him a hug. The family is distraught and concerned for Ibrahim's health, physical safety and mental health. The case has reached the point where this young man has undertaken a hunger strike and his life hangs in the balance. The Government has been at best tepid in its approach to securing his safety and freedom. What is needed is the direct intervention of the Taoiseach.

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