Ibrahim must be immediately & unconditionally released, as Egyptian legal system descends further into farce.
Today, there has been yet another adjournment in the trial of Irish man Ibrahim Halawa in Cairo as Egypt continues to ignore its obligations under both Egyptian and international human rights law. Ibrahim, who faces a possible death penalty, was a minor when he was first arrested in August 2013. He has spent 1045 days in prison. Amnesty International has declared Ibrahim a Prisoner of Conscience, based on its own eye-witness evidence that he could not have carried out the acts he is accused of. He was arrested and arbitrarily detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.
It had been expected that the trial process might come to a conclusion today. That did not happen, instead the Court announced that video evidence is being referred to a Technical Committee who will report back to the court by October 2, 2016. Today marks the fourteenth delay in the trial process.
“This is a devastating blow for Ibrahim and his family who have spent almost 3 years campaigning for justice. The Egyptian legal system has descended into further farce with this fourteenth delay in Ibrahim’s trial. There is no credible evidence against Ibrahim, who faces and a mass trial alongside 493 other defendants. A mass trial simply cannot meet the standards required for a fair trial as defined under international human rights law. It is staggering that almost three years into the case, the court has reportedly only now referred video evidence for technical examination.
This young Irish citizen has now spent more than 1000 days living in truly horrific conditions in an Egyptian prison cell, without access to proper medical care. Ibrahim is a Prisoner of Conscience and his continuing imprisonment represents an inexcusable violation of both international and Egyptian law. It is time for the Egyptian Government to intervene to secure Ibrahim’s release, as they have in other cases through the use of pardons and Presidential Decrees. Our expectation is that the Irish Government will continue to use every diplomatic and political mechanism to secure Ibrahim’s immediate and unconditional release,” said Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland.
Ibrahim Halawa was just 17 when he was first arrested in August 2013 while taking sanctuary in the Al Fath mosque. While Ibrahim’s sisters were released on bail and are safe in Ireland, Ibrahim has been incarcerated for 1045 days without trial.