Written answers

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Irish Prisoners Abroad

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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620. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions he is currently taking regarding the case of a person (details supplied). [19921/17]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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This consular case continues to be a top priority for the Government and very substantial resources and time are being devoted to it. This case has had an extraordinary degree of high-level political engagement, investment in terms of person-hours, consultation with third parties worldwide, and consular visits and trial monitoring.

The Government has been doing everything possible to secure his release. We have supported petitions for him to be returned to Ireland under Egyptian Law 140; we have appealed for him to be released under the Egyptian President’s ‘Youth Amnesty’ Scheme, and we have stressed in all contacts the humanitarian dimensions of the case as grounds under which we believe he should be released.

On April 3rd, the Taoiseach once again made direct and personal contact with President el-Sisi to renew the Government’s appeal to the Egyptian authorities to release this Irish citizen and return him to Ireland without delay. This is the Government’s objective, and we are working day-in and day-out to seek to secure that outcome. Both the Taoiseach and I maintain open lines of communication with our Egyptian counterparts.

I have also been doing everything possible to build and maintain international support for this citizen’s cause, including through my regular contacts on the case with EU colleagues and counterparts, including High Representative Mogherini who has been very helpful and supportive in this matter.

The court case in which this man is accused is now moving forward. The relatively short adjournment periods between recent hearings and the progress in those hearings in terms of witness testimony are indications of momentum in the trial process, which is to be welcomed after a very difficult and frustrating period of over three years. My expectation now is that the trial will move towards a conclusion. It is important that there should be no further delays in the process.

President el-Sisi has discretionary powers under the Egyptian constitution and laws which would allow him to order the deportation of Ibrahim to Ireland. However, he has repeatedly said that he cannot consider using these powers while the case remains before the courts. President el-Sisi has consistently made clear to the Government that he is anxious to resolve this issue as soon as he can, and that he will be able to intervene in the case once the trial has ended.

The Irish Government cannot intervene in a case that is before the courts in another jurisdiction. What we can do, and what we are doing, is working constantly to maintain maximum pressure on the Egyptian Government to ensure that they are in no doubt about our wish to see this trial proceeds now to a conclusion and, once it is concluded, that our citizen is returned to Ireland without delay.

We maintains open lines of communication with this citizen’s family and have been keeping family members fully informed of all developments and updates received from the Egyptian authorities. There are regular meeting between the family and senior officials from the Department.

I want to assure the House that we will continue to keep the pressure on Egypt until we get this young man home.

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