Ibrahim Halawa
An Irish student locked up in Egypt for more than a year has told how he was beaten up, spat on and dragged down the stairs of a courthouse by his jailers after his latest trial appearance ended in farce.
Ibrahim Halawa (18) detailed the shocking abuse in handwritten letters he penned from his Cairo cell to well-wishers who have supported him since he was detained in August last year.
Referring to his trial on August 12 last, which was dramatically abandoned mid-hearing, Ibrahim writes: “I didn’t get to talk to my lawyer and the court cage was sound-proof (the one I didn’t even enter) which is also illegal. We refused to leave until we get to see a judge as a result we were beaten up, dragged down the stairs, handcuffed in threes, we were spat on and all this just because we refused to leave until we were to see a judge.”
However, Ibrahim assured his supporters he is remaining positive in spite of his ordeal.
“After what I went through I returned to the cell joking trying to lighten up the mood because of what I learned I cannot show my enemy I am weak, as they say, ‘build a brick wall from the bricks thrown at you by your enemy’. This does not mean that I did not return feeling down and very depressed,” he wrote.
“I started reading all the letters that were sent to me from people I know and more surprising from people I don’t know. I seriously cannot thank you all enough for the support I am getting from everyone.
“I am sorry that I haven’t replied to the letters as it’s very close to impossible to send letters and we are not allowed papers, I had this one saved up. I would really like to thank each and everyone for their support.”
Last week a number of high-profile names from Irish politics and the global human rights community wrote to Taoiseach Enda Kenny urging him to intervene in Ibrahim’s case.
The letter, which featured the signatures of Amnesty International Ireland boss Colm O’Gorman; TDs Clare Daly and Finian McGrath; MEPs Lynn Boylan and Matt Carthy and Senator David Norris, stated: “Ibrahim’s age and the discrimination he has been subjected to mean he is particularly vulnerable and in need of help, however he is far from alone in suffering these abuses. By intervening in his case Ireland can also send a strong message to the Egyptian authorities that the international community will not tolerate human rights abuses of this magnitude.”
Last week, the Sunday Independent exclusively revealed that Ibrahim had ended his hunger strike at the request of his father-Ireland’s most senior Muslim cleric and Imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Clonskeagh – Sheikh Hussein Halawa.
Ibrahim was just 17 when he was arrested alongside his three older sisters in Cairo in August of 2013, after a day of protest turned violent following the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi.
According to the Halawa siblings, security officials began firing on protesters and they sought refuge at the al-Fatah mosque in Cairo’s Ramses Square. Ibrahim’s sisters – Somaia (29), Fatima (23) and Omaima (21) – were released from prison last November and returned to Ireland. However, Ibrahim has had his detention period extended on a number of occasions, despite the fact that he has not been charged with any crime.
Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has raised Ibrahim’s case with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry. The Irish Ambassador to Egypt, Isolde Moylan, continues to provide consular assistance to Ibrahim and his family.
Sunday Independent