Ibrahim Halawa: Irish parliament calls for release of man held in Egypt since 2013
Both houses of the Irish parliament are to pass cross-party motions protesting against the detention without trial of an Irishman in Egypt.
Ibrahim Halawa was 17 when he was arrested during a siege on the Al-Fath mosque in Cairo in 2013. The Egyptian ambassador will be called to appear before the parliament's foreign affairs committee to receive a request for Mr Halawa's release. He faces a possible death sentence. Violent clashes Mr Halawa's family have said he had taken refuge in the mosque during violent clashes between supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi and the security forces. The son of Ireland's most senior Muslim cleric, Mr Halawa, from Firhouse in Dublin, has spent more than 1,000 days in prison. An Irish parliamentary delegation will be established to visit the Egyptian parliament and seek to arrange a visit to Mr Halawa.