Ibrahim Halawa trial set for today

The trial of Ibrahim Halawa is scheduled to take place today in Egypt.

Halawa, who is from Dublin, has seen his case postponed 10 times since his arrest two and a half years ago.

Ibrahim was just 17 years old when he was detained for allegedly shooting at police during an anti-government protest in Cairo.

Egyptian law means he is part of a mass trial which can not proceed until all 494 defendants are present in court, something which has not happened yet.

A European Parliament resolution calling for Ibrahim's release has been rejected by Egypt's Foreign Ministry, however Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has said authorities in Cairo will be conscious of it.

“Certainly they (the Egyptian authorities) were very worried about this resolution passing,” said Boylan.

“They were lobbying franticly in the days preceding it to try and convince MEPs to not to vote in favour for it - that shows you the status that it carries.

“While it’s not legally binding, it’s certainly has shone a spotlight on Ibrahim’s case and on the Egyptian authorities on how they are carrying out trails at the moment in Egypt.”