Politics/News: 09 Oct 2017
Michael Lanigan

Delay in Ibrahim Halawa's release "is starting to drain him", says sister

Speaking with Hot Press in the upcoming issue, Ibrahim Halawa's eldest sister Somaia discusses the process of bringing her brother home.

After four years spent in pre-trial detention, on September 18th Ibrahim Halawa was acquitted of the charges brought against him for his participation in a series of anti-military protests in Cairo, Egypt in August of 2013.

Commenting on the process of bringing him home, Somaia has said the initial delay seems to have come because "there is wrong information in his papers." "The papers had to go back to the courts from the general prosecutor. They say that they are correcting it."

However, she adds, as of October 6th, "we don't know where the delay is coming from."

"The courts told us to go to the general prosecutor office and they said to go to the courts. It’s frustrating and ridiculous. In Ireland, if you’re proven innocent, you just walk away and that’s that. The moment we heard Ibrahim was proven innocent, my older sister Nosabaya went over straight away. She left her four kids with us, and none of us thought it would take long, maybe two or three days. The wait is starting to drain him”

Halawa's former cellmate and journalist, Peter Greste has taken to Twitter to comment on the delay by saying, "Outraged!... If Egypt respects the rule of law, he will be freed now!"

Outraged! After acquitting my old cellmate 2 weeks ago, Ibrahim is still in prison. If Egypt respects rule of law, he will be freed now! https://t.co/0AnEOL5Gkn

— Peter Greste (@PeterGreste) October 9, 2017