Kildare County Council call on Egyptian authorities to release Irish prisoner

The Kildare County Council have thrown their weight behind the campaign to free Irish man Ibrahim Halawa from an Egyptian jail cell.

The 20-year-old has been incarcerated since he and his sisters were arrested in Cairo three years ago, but his siblings were released after three months. Mr Halawa's solicitor has said that he and his sisters were visiting extended family members when they were arrested during protests outside a mosque in August 2013.

It was thought that the verdicts and sentences of 494 people, including Halawa, would be handed out by a judge in Cairo today, but the case has been adjourned for a 13th time.

Kildare County Council have now requested the immediate release of Halawa, and have requested that An Taoiseach Enda Kenny writes to the Egyptian Embassy to facilitate his release.

"In light of the completely inappropriate nature of a mass trial, the length of the delay before his trial and the lack of evidence provided against him, this council calls on Egypt to immediately release Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa and asks An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, to write to the Egyptian Embassy to convey our views and the Council issues a Press Statement to that effect," read the statement from the council.