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Irish teen locked up in Egypt 'forced to drink from the toilet'

July 1, 2014 at 3:56 pm

An Irish-Egyptian teen imprisoned in Egypt claims he has been beaten with chains and whips and forced to drink from the toilet.

Ibrahim, 18, has been held in an adult jail since his arrest and is living in dire conditions.

In a letter to European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton, Ibrahim revealed details of his detention.

“We were beaten on our way to the cell by stick, metal chains, whips or anything to be found,” Ibrahim said of his treatment by guards at Tora prison shortly after his arrest.

“After I was searched and beaten, I was thrown in a cell with 120 people … Ground toilets [were] blocked and sewage was all over us, our food was bread with cheese and worms or insects.

“I was then moved to Al-Salam military camp … I was beaten by the back of the weapon just because I said I was Irish and I have never held [an] Egyptian passport or even an ID.”

“After three months of a family ruined, of torture, of seeing death a dozen times, my sisters are finally released,” Ibrahim wrote.

However, he “continues on” with his “struggle”.

“I was forced to drink water from the toilet … Finally, I was transferred to Al-Marg prison where I was stripped naked and beaten. My parents were told I wasn’t here,” he said.

Ibrahim has not been allowed to contact his father; they have not spoken for more than 10 months.

In his letter, Ibrahim expresses his “disappointment” that Ashton has been to Egypt “more than twice and not raised [his] case at all”, even though he is an EU citizen.

Ibrahim’s family has actively campaigned for his.

Recently, the sisters claimed Ibrahim was not “Irish looking enough” for the outside world to fight for his release.

“He is Irish, he was born here, but he does not look Irish, he does not look like he is from the EU and I think this is why it’s been so slow,” Ibrahim’s sister Somaia said.

The Halawas have been receiving regular consular support from the Irish ambassador in Egypt since the ordeal began but they believe more needs to be done.

“We appreciate the help we have got from the Irish Government, but it’s time for action. They have been raising the case long enough and nothing has happened, the fear is killing us,” Somaia added.

On July 16, Ibrahim faces a mass trial with 483 others – including his three sisters who are due to be tried in absentia.

Nosayba Halawa said her brother’s solicitor has not yet had access to the case papers even though the trial is due to begin in a fortnight.

She added that one solicitor would likely speak for all defendants on the day of the trial.

His family believe he may face execution, following the decision by a judge to hand down the death penalty to 529 people accused of rioting.

They said Ibrahim has considered going on hunger strike to raise awareness of his plight and in protest of the terrible conditions he is living in.

The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Joe Costello said everything that could be done in terms of representation had been done by the Irish authorities.

He said representation has been made in Egypt and at EU level. However, “we cannot get involved directly in judicial proceedings.”

Omaima, Ibrahim’s sister, told the Sunday Independent: “The hardest part for him is all this waiting, because you have to remember he’s very young. He turned 18 while in prison.

“In general, prisons in Egypt are extremely tough places, but for men they are much worse. Then there are political people who are treated ten times worse again then normal prisoners.”

Ibrahim was arrested in Cairo last August along with his sisters Somaia, 28, Omaima, 21, and Fatima, 23. They had been taking part in demonstrations against the ousting of President-elect Mohammed Morsi. The protests ended with violent clashes between security forces and demonstrators forcing them to seek sanctuary in Al-Fateh Mosque where the siblings were arrested.

Ibrahim’s sisters were released in November.

The siblings were on holiday in Cairo at the time of their arrests.