Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Chathaoirligh. Like my colleague in Fianna Fáil, I am delighted to be speaking today about the return home, at long last, of the Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa, whose joyous welcome from his family, well-wishers, members of the Government and others made for really happy scenes at Dublin Airport earlier today. Ibrahim's strength in the face of such adversity and his evident joy at being united with his family and being back home in his country are testament to his character. Having been held captive myself for a tiny fraction of the time Ibrahim was during my days with Greenpeace, I can only imagine what he has gone through over the past four years. He is home now and he has been declared innocent of any and all charges, as have his sisters. I raised the issue of Ibrahim's detention in my first speech in the Seanad last year, as part of a Commencement debate with the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan. In that speech, I questioned the Government's approach to securing Ibrahim's release after 1,046 days of detention without trial at that time.In that speech I questioned the Government's approach to securing Ibrahim's release after 1,046 days of detention without trial. Today we are celebrating the release of Ibrahim Halawa but there will be the temptation to see it as a vindication of the wait and see approach.