Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour)
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484. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will intervene in the case of a person (details supplied) who is imprisoned in Egypt in a manner contrary to the Irish Constitution; if he considers the ongoing and prolonged detention without trial of an Irish person to be acceptable to him as Minister and to the Government and the people of Ireland; the action he will take in response to this slight by a foreign nation on our Constitution and national values; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42756/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I have intensively engaged with the Egyptian authorities regarding this citizen's case, including the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Egypt’s Ambassador to Ireland, and with EU and international partners, including the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Federica Mogherini. The Taoiseach also raised the case in person on two occasions with Egyptian President al-Sisi. The information we receive from all of these contacts is carefully considered and regularly used in reviewing our approach to the management of this case.

The Government’s key objectives in this case are firstly, to see this citizen released by the Egyptian authorities so that he can return to his family and his studies in Ireland and, secondly, to provide consular support for his welfare while he remains in detention. Significant resources in Cairo and in Dublin continue to be deployed in the furtherance of these objectives. I would note in this regard that Embassy officials frequently visit this citizen in detention, most recently on 23 November.

Irrespective of any views regarding the fairness or appropriateness of any arrest abroad, the reality is that where an Irish citizen is charged with an offence under the law of a foreign country, it is the foreign law that applies and it is the relevant foreign court which decides matters such as bail and release. Nonetheless, I can assure the Deputy that this case will continue to receive a high priority in my Department.