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Updated at 9.15pm
Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air, walk freely, and smile deeply from the bottom of my heart. But I miss one thing and it’s being home.
This is Irishman Ibrahim Halawa’s first public response to being released from a prison in Cairo last night after being detained more than four years ago.
In a Facebook post, he thanked the embassy and everyone who helped him in his bid for freedom.
“I wanna thank the team at the embassy who worked very hard. The ambassador Sean O’Regan, former ambassador Damien Cole, Shane Gleeson, Vincent Herlihy. Thank you to everyone who helped I love you all,” he said.
His release came just over one month after he was found not guilty by an Egyptian court.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Coveney said that Halawa was “in great form, he was tired but at the same time he was hugely excited”.
“No bitterness, just simply, I think, happy and relieved to wanted to get home and wanting to get on with his life,” Coveney said.
This is a great, great day for the Halawa family. I made it very clear to him that as far as we see him, he is as Irish as anybody else.
“He is an Irish citizen who had been in prison for four years when he shouldn’t have been and we want to get him home,” he said.
The 21-year-old had been arrested in 2013 during a protest in support of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, who had been ousted from power in a military coup.
His case was delayed 28 times before his legal team finally had a chance to defend him in court in early August. He was acquitted of all charges on 18 September.
Halawa is expected to return home to Ireland on “Sunday or Monday”, according to Coveney.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, Coveney said that there are still some formalities required before Halawa can travel home to Ireland.
“Ibrahim no longer has the passport that he had when he went to Cairo over four years ago now,” Coveney said.
“We’ve issued him with a new passport but that, of course, is a clean passport. When he goes to the airport he’s not going to have an immigration stamp on that passport, which will pose problems for him at customs and security at the airport,” he said.
In order to be able to fly home, Halawa needs to get his immigration stamp on his new passport. To get the stamp, he must turn up in person to the immigration ministry.
“The timing and the problem with that is that we are now in the Egyptian weekend, which is a Friday and Saturday,” Coveney said.
That immigration office isn’t open on a Friday and has very limited opening on a Saturday.
It’ll either be Sunday or Monday by the time he’s home.
Travelling home
Coveney said that Hawala’s release was “somewhat unexpected last night actually, as he was released at 11pm last night from the police station that he was originally detained in”.
He added that Halawa and his family have asked for privacy and do not wish to make a big deal about his homecoming.
The Irish ambassador in Egypt will travel with Halawa back to Ireland, according to Coveney.
“The quickest way to get him home is on commercial flights and I think that’s what the family want also,” he said.
Reaction
President Michael D Higgins, who is on a State visit to Australia, welcomed Halawa’s release.
In a statement, Higgins wished Halawa well.
The release of Ibrahim Halawa will come as a great relief to his family.
“It will be welcomed by all those who were concerned for him in his long ordeal of imprisonment.
I wish Ibrahim Halawa well on his journey home.
Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, said: “It is thanks to the determined work of his lawyers and campaigning of his family, friends and Amnesty activists that his horrific ordeal has finally come to an end.
“Ibrahim should never have had to endure this horrendous experience. He has lost four years of his young life and nothing can ever excuse that injustice. Thankfully, his nightmare is finally over and he can now begin to move on with his life.”
With reporting from Gráinne Ní Aodha
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So what if he served 48 days , and so what if that was the deal made by the prosecutor. He drugged and raped a 13 year old girl ! Why would you want filth like that back in your Country, no matter how good his films are..
@Blarneykite: you’re literally defending a paedophile.
@Blarneykite: you must be deaf if you cannot hear the calls for Blair and Bush to be tried for war crimes, perhaps selectively so. Anyway, back to your defence of an admitted paedophile.
A predator
“Polanski – the only polish wanted in the USA without a valid visa lol”
While I despise him as a person, polish court was right not to extradite him to the us. US made balls of the investigation and charges and wanted to change it after he served what they deemed at first. Only US court fault. Then still interesting why she wanted withdraw her case from the court, being a victim it sounds weird, who knows what was really between them, maybe consensual sex that turned wrong when he said to her bye bye. (Not that’s right anyway to have sex with 13 years old).
@Tomasz Kuchnik: a 13 year old cannot legally consent to sexual intercourse in the US. Anymore vile excuses for Polanski?
@Tomasz Kuchnik: maybe she’s just sick of this following her around and would like closure. She is now living her life and maybe she has recovered and wants it all to go away and I have a lot of sympathy for that. It must be hard for her.
@Paul Fahey: cannot consent legally, but can consent informally… not? and why are you attacking me I said I despise the man, and just thought that’s one possibility…
@Tomasz Kuchnik: what exactly is “informal consent” by a 13 year old child to sexual intercourse? I find that a most disturbing comment, I really do.
@Paul Fahey: Paul ok I need to explain that to you as for some reason you don’t get it, in 90s in the US first sexual intercourse under 13 years of age have been reported by more than 10% of the teenagers. It has been decreasing since then. So in 70s when this happened, that percentage was likely even bigger than 10% although I have no source for it. How do you know she didn’t want to sleep with him as you seem totally rejecting that version? Rape accusation is oldest trick in a book. Now before you go on holy war with me – I’m not saying this is the case. I’m just interested why you don’t let think it could have been consensual from her side then. Himself as a grown up man should have known better and of course shouldn’t touch her either way.
@Tomasz Kuchnik: you are aware how old Polanski was at the time of these crimes aren’t you? He was not a 13 year old boy having “informal consent” sexual penetrative intercourse with a 13 year old girl. No, he was a 40+ year old man committing statutory rape on a 13 year old girl, consent does not come into it, formal or “informal”. If you think all the US 13 year olds you mention are losing their virginity to 40+ year old man, then you need help. You are defending and making excuses for a paedophile, let that sink in. You may think you are being clever with your words, but most normal people will find them quite disturbing.
Good. Horrible man.
He is a dirtbag.
Jesus Barny.. give it a rest.
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