The European Parliament has called for the immediate release of a detained Egyptian-Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa, who could face the death penalty.
"MEPs call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa, who has been detained for more than two years on charges of attending an illegal protest on August 16 and 17, 2013, while on a family holiday in Cairo," the European Parliament said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement called for ruling out the possibility of issuing a death sentence against Halawa, who was a juvenile when he was arrested in 2013.
The statement reiterated that Egypt should abide by the international conventions of child rights which prohibits sentencing minors to death.
"The European External Action Service (EEAS), via the EU Delegation in Cairo, as well as EU member states, notably Ireland, (should) monitor all hearings in Halawa's trial and that of his co-defendants and to continue providing him with their full legal, consular and other forms of support," said the statement.
