Ceann Comhairle welcomes acquittal of Ibrahim Halawa

In January of this year, the Ceann Comhairle led a parliamentary delegation to Cairo to visit Mr Halawa in prison and discuss his detention with Egyptian officials.

Speaking today, the Ceann Comhairle said, “I welcome the news today of  Ibrahim’s acquittal and that he is shortly to be released from prison and will soon return to Ireland. When I visited Cairo earlier this year, I was very clear in my engagement with Egyptian officials that the detention of Mr Halawa was an impediment to fostering good relations between our two nations.  I pay particular tribute to Ambassador Damien Cole and his team in the Irish Embassy in Cairo, and to Ambassador Soha Gendi and our other friends in the Egyptian Embassy in Dublin, for all their assistance to me and my parliamentary colleagues in engaging with the Egyptian authorities.  When I met Ibrahim in January, I expressed my hope that I would see him back in Dublin soon and while the process has been frustrating and long, I am delighted that Ibrahim will soon be reunited with his family back in Ireland.”