Grandmother of boys abducted by her son appeals court ruling in attempt to keep boys in Egypt

Mandy Kelly with photos of her children Zayn and Kareem, whom she has not seen since March 2022. Picture: Ciara Wilkinson

The grandmother of two children from Ireland abducted by her son has appealed a ruling in the Egyptian courts in a bid to prevent her grandchildren being returned to their Irish mother.

In March 2022, Mandy Kelly’s two children Zayn, who will be seven this month, and Kareem, aged four, from Dundalk, Co Louth, visited their grandmother in Cairo on a family holiday which turned into a "living hell".

During the trip, their father, Ramy Gamal Maamoun Mohamed, locked Ms Kelly in an apartment and abducted his two sons.

Ms Kelly has not seen her children since. She fled back to Ireland where she has campaigned tirelessly for three years to have her children returned to her care.

Both judiciaries in Ireland and Egypt have ruled the children should be returned to their mother. However, Ms Kelly's estranged husband cannot be located by police in Cairo to execute the court order.

The children’s paternal grandmother, who is supporting her son in rearing the boys, appealed to the courts to keep the children at  a hearing in Cairo last month.

Ms Kelly told the Irish Examiner she hopes for a final conclusion on the case by the summer.

“The judge insisted the school reports be made available to the courts for both children” she explained.

“My ex-mother-in-law did not attend the hearing, and she was represented by her Egyptian lawyers.

“I would also be interested in seeing my children’s school reports” she added. "But what is more shocking is that she can appeal a case without attending".

Ms Kelly added she was “hopeful” the appeal would not be successful and the children would be safely returned home.

“It’s three years now since they were taken and I have not seen them and I will never be able to explain what this has done to me let alone what it has done to my sons” she said.

“I have also been informed that prior to my travels to Egypt that the Tánaiste Simon Harris wrote again to his Egyptian counterparts for this case to be concluded — that is something I am very grateful for.

“I am expecting a letter from him in the upcoming days, and I can’t thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and those Government ministers and politicians who have lobbied to help get my boy’s home," Ms Kelly said.

“It is a long time to be away from your children and despite two court rulings in my favour and following the Egyptian legal process, I am still waiting for Zayn and Kareem to come home.”