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Somaia Halawa

Doctor recommends Ibrahim Halawa be released from prison for 'further medical assessments'

Enda Kenny has petitioned the President of Egypt again on the case of Ibrahim Halawa.

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said that a doctor sent by the government has visited Ibrahim Halawa in prison, and has recommended that the Irish national be released to facilitate further medical tests.

Flanagan also said that the Taoiseach has again written to the President of Egpyt on “this complex and sensitive case”.

The Irish national has been held without trial since being arrested at a protest in Cairo in August 2013. His trial has been delayed over 20 times, most recently in late March.

In recent months, reports had emerged of Halawa’s deteriorating health in the Egyptian prison in which he is being held which prompted the Irish government to send a doctor to carry out their own tests on him.

Speaking on the matter today, Minister Flanagan said that the health of an individual citizen, as well as the exact details of their medical history and treatment, are “private and confidential”.

Flanagan said: “I can confirm that the government arranged for a doctor to visit Ibrahim Halawa in prison last week.

The doctor recommended further medical assessments and that Mr Halawa be released to facilitate such tests.

Flanagan said that the Irish government had made direct appeals on a number of occasions to petition for Halawa’s release and added that Enda Kenny has again written to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the issue.

The Minister said that Halawa’s case continued to receive “unprecedented attention and resources in Dublin and Cairo” and that the government would continue their efforts to see Ibrahim returned to Ireland “without delay”.

Speaking in the Dáil in recent weeks, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that he was “disturbed” by the reports emerging about Halawa’s deteriorating health.

He said: “I read a report where he was reported to be confined to a wheelchair… I am disturbed by this, and we want to have verified from an Irish medical point of view what is the condition of Ibrahim Halawa.”

Flanagan has previously urged Halawa not to pursue a hunger strike, or any other actions that would be detrimental to his health.

Read: ‘You’re trying to shut down discussion’: Dáil suspended after Bríd Smith raises Halawa case

Read: Judge-ordered report into Cairo protest doesn’t name or identify Ibrahim Halawa

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Jun 26th 2021, 10:09 PM

    There’s a brilliant documentary on Netflix called My Octopus Teacher. It’s absolutely brilliant, definitely worth a watch.

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    Mute Floating Crowbar
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    Jun 27th 2021, 10:24 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: yawn – about a guy beyond obsessed with an octopus – where he got the money to make the documentary! I would love to know.

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    Mute Fandandi
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    Jun 26th 2021, 10:08 PM

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jun 27th 2021, 1:04 AM

    What’s in it for the squid? What’s the ‘squid pro quo’ as it were…

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Jun 26th 2021, 10:29 PM

    They’re very smart: https://youtu.be/8-E7EpQ9PFs

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    Mute Lydia
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    Jun 26th 2021, 11:03 PM

    @David Jordan: They are also delicious.

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    Mute Jakie McLean
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    Jun 26th 2021, 11:25 PM

    @Lydia: one of the reasons we should leave anything out there in the great big universe alone. We are smart enough but we could also be very delicious.

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    Mute To Mt
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    Jun 27th 2021, 12:23 AM

    @David Jordan: they’re unsociable creatures and its believed if they were sociable they could possibly be smarter than humans.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Jun 27th 2021, 12:52 AM

    @To Mt: jayus the thoughts of a squid doing a heart transplant doesn’t bear thinking about.

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    Mute Colm Walsh
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    Jun 27th 2021, 2:44 AM

    @To Mt: aaaaah you’re squidding me…

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    Mute James Fox
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    Jun 26th 2021, 11:25 PM

    Thought it was a quiz about spuds when I saw the headline

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    Mute Tricia G
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    Jun 27th 2021, 12:43 AM

    Huh, I know WAY more than I realised…… 9/10

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    Mute pkunzip doom2.zip
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    Jun 26th 2021, 11:47 PM

    10 out of 10

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    Mute Fergal O'Hagan
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    Jun 27th 2021, 12:58 AM

    This was Squidworth my time!

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    Mute Sean O'Donovan
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    Jun 27th 2021, 11:28 AM

    Thanks Nicky – this quiz had me laughing out loud!

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    Mute Joe Soap
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    Jun 27th 2021, 4:00 PM

    I thought it said how much to you know about the “squits”? Quite a lot as it happens.

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