Egypt rejects Irish steps to release its citizen

Ireland’s intervention in the release of its citizens from an Egyptian jail was rejected by the parliament in Cairo on Saturday.

Ibrahim Halawa, an Irish citizen of Egyptian origins, has been held for three years since he was arrested in Cairo.

A parliamentary statement by the Speaker of the House, Ali Abdel Aal, said: “In summary, Halawa belongs to a terrorist group [Muslims Brotherhood]. He has committed hostile acts which were rejected by laws and customs and which led to the desecration of one of God’s houses [a mosque]. He is also accused of abusing police forces, disrupting roads and putting the safety of citizens at risk; all of which are acts that the Egyptian law criminalises with the most severe penalties.”

Halawa has been questioned and only the Egyptian judiciary has the right to come to a verdict in his case, the statement continued. It stressed that the judiciary is independent and parliament cannot interfere in its affairs.

It continued that the government rejects the Irish government’s intervention in this matter.