Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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182. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has read a report from the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) which states that a person (details supplied) and thousands of other peaceful protesters are being illegally imprisoned under the colonial era Assembly Law (Law 10/1914), that CIHRS has discovered was repealed on 30 January 1928; his views on the fact that this law is being illegally implemented 89 years after its formal repeal to the imprisoned person; and if he will formally raise this issue with his Egyptian counterpart and demand the immediate release of the person. [6240/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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This long-running and complex consular case continues to be a top priority for the Irish Government and I and my officials are doing everything possible to achieve this citizen’s return to Ireland at the earliest possible time. I am aware of the research and report by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) to which the Deputy refers. The position is that the Institute has filed a petition on 31 January 2017 with the Egyptian State Council seeking an injunction against Law 10/1914, known as the "Assembly Law", and arguing that the Law should be annulled because it was effectively repealed in 1928. The State Council is a superior branch of the judiciary in Egypt.

The Irish Embassy in Cairo will be monitoring closely developments in this case and keeping me informed. I know that this citizen’s legal representatives will also be keeping themselves informed of developments and assessing any possible implications for his citizen’s court case.

The court case in which this citizen is a defendant is back in court on 14 February and the Irish Embassy will again be present on that occasion to observe proceedings.