Family Rejoices After Irishman Found Not Guilty in Egyptian Anti-Terror Court

Four years after he was arrested for attending a protest in Cairo, Irish-Egyptian citizen Ibrahim Halawa was acquitted of all charges on Monday, September 18.

Halawa and his three sisters were arrested in August 2013 during peaceful demonstrations protesting the ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. His sisters had been previously released, while Ibrahim continued to be detained.

Halawa’s family rejoiced when they heard the news, stating they were “glad it’s all coming to an end.”

A statement released by Reprieve, a human rights group assisting Ibrahim, said (in part): “Today’s verdict is long overdue. Ibrahim was arrested as a child for the ‘crime’ of attending a protest, tortured, and tried facing the death penalty alongside adults in an unfair mass trial. For years, these court proceedings – which were designed to punish political dissent – made a mockery of justice.” The statement, made by Reprieve director Maya Foa, also went on to call on Egypt to “end its use of patently illegal mass trials.” Credit: Twitter/Stephanie Grogan via Storyful