Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Consider the situation where a parent is at home one evening and receives a telephone call to say that their 17 year old son has been arrested while travelling abroad. He was exercising his right to assembly by attending a peaceful demonstration which was then attacked by state forces and, with a group of almost 400 people, fled in to a local mosque to seek shelter. We know this because Amnesty International observers were part of the group in the mosque and have testified that this is exactly what happened. The parent is then told that their son was injured, through no fault of his own, put in to a tiny, grubby cell with nine adults in an adult prison and left there for more than 1,000 days. If that were the Minister's son what would he do? He would move heaven and earth to ensure he was returned home safely. That is what every single Deputy in the Dáil should be doing in the case of Ibrahim Halawa.

There has been an incredible amount of campaign activity in the past three years led by the remarkable Halawa sisters and their family and involving Amnesty International, Reprieve, politicians from all political parties and none and members of the public. All of the people who have brought the campaign to this point need to be commended. However, I believe I speak for many Deputies and those of us who have been involved in the campaign by saying we feel the family's enormous frustration that more than 1,000 days on, we are still here and Ibrahim has not been returned home.

The purpose of today's debate is to pass an all-party and independent motion - and I am not here to criticise anyone- but whatever one's view on the rights or wrongs of the Government's strategy up to now, clearly it has not worked. Upon the 14th postponement of the trial last week a fundamental change took place, the result of which we are seeing now: the cross party motion; the call for an urgent delegation of Deputies or Oireachtas Members to travel to Egypt to see Ibrahim; and, crucially, a call for action by the Government over the coming days and weeks to increase the intensity of pressure on the Egyptian authorities to secure the release of this Irish citizen.

We now have a very clear window of opportunity. It is not simply a matter of supporting the request for a presidential decree. It is a matter of the Minister using absolutely every single means at his diplomatic disposal to ensure the request is successful and that Ibrahim is returned home safely before the next trial date. I certainly believe that is possible.

I acknowledge the very significant work of the consular services in Egypt and the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials in Ireland. They have put an extraordinary amount of time into this case. At this stage the Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, need to do everything in their power and to use every possible avenue of direct influence with their counterparts Minister Shoukry and President el-Sisi to ensure Ibrahim's release.

When Deputies Lahart, Brophy and I were on South Dublin County Council, we had a powerful presentation from Somaia Halawa. On two separate occasions over the past three years there was unanimous support in the council for motions calling for Ibrahim's urgent release. I am delighted to say that finally the Dáil is following suit. However, what happens next and especially the actions of the Minister and the Taoiseach in the coming weeks will determine whether Ibrahim arrives home before September.

I thank all the Deputies who initiated this motion and particularly the Green Party. I thank the Deputies who have campaigned and spoken today. The ball is very clearly in the Minister's court. He has our support if he ups the tempo and increases the intensity of the efforts. If Ibrahim comes home, we will congratulate the Minister for playing a part in that.

See this speech in context