Irish mum 'still in the dark’ about her children who were abducted in Egypt in 2022
Mandy Kelly with her children in happier times. Ms Kelly said she is 'very grateful' for the Government's support but still has no verified details about Zayn and Kareem's 'location, welfare, education, or health'.
An Irish mother fighting to have her sons returned to her from Cairo where they were abducted by their father said she remains “in the dark” about their location, welfare, and education.
Mandy Kelly from Co Louth has not seen her two sons since March 2022 after her estranged husband locked her in an apartment during a visit to see his mother and removed the boys from her care.
Since then, Ms Kelly has launched a High Court case here and in the Egyptian courts — both ruled that the children should be returned to her care. However, authorities in Cairo have told her that the children and their father cannot be located.
Now, in a letter to Ms Kelly, justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said his department is engaging with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the issue of a bilateral agreement on child abduction between Egypt and Ireland.
"As that engagement is ongoing, it is not possible to advise of an outcome at this point," he stated.
He also said the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have regularly raised Ms Kelly’s case in meetings with their counterparts in Egypt, most recently in a bilateral meeting between the Tánaiste and Egyptian foreign minister at the annual Munich security conference. Mr O'Callaghan said:
Mr O’Callaghan said he has no power over Interpol notices and European arrest warrants, which are matters for the gardaí.
Ms Kelly said she is “very grateful” for the support of the Irish government but to date she has received no verified details regarding her children’s “location, welfare, education, or health”.
Her children, Zayn aged 7 and Kareem aged 4 who were born here, were taken by their Egyptian father Ramy Gamal Maamoun Mohamed during a family holiday in March 2022 in Cairo.
“He had it all planned, and I had no idea he was going to do this,” said Ms Kelly.
Authorities in Egypt have claimed her estranged husband “remains unlocatable” according to Ms Kelly, while her mother-in-law has appealed the decision of the family court in Cairo.
“I know nothing about my children, I don’t know if they are in school, if they are well, I don’t know anything” she said. “Kareem is due to start school now”.
Ms Kelly met with Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy on August 6 to discuss her case. At that meeting, which was also attended by the consular director, she asked the Government to:
- Publicly name Zayn and Kareem as Irish citizens unlawfully detained;
- Demand full enforcement of the 2022 Irish and 2024 Egyptian custody rulings;
- Secure guaranteed consular access and fortnightly welfare updates;
- Support the dismissal of the grandmother’s discriminatory and medically unsubstantiated custody petition;
- Explore legal and diplomatic escalation via EU and other international mechanisms if Egypt continues to defy rulings.
She said: “While I have pursued every available legal remedy, I have also made genuine efforts to resolve this crisis through non-legal means—including mediation requests with Reunite, diplomatic engagement through the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Irish embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian Good Intentions Committee, but still, my children remain beyond reach.”
A personal commitment from the Egyptian president was also given to the Tánaiste Simon Harris on December 11, 2024, but Ms Kelly said “that promise remains unfulfilled”.
“This is a human rights issue. Two Irish children remain unlawfully detained abroad despite final custody orders from both Irish and Egyptian courts,” she said.
“There has also been a complete information blackout, I have received no verified details regarding my children’s location, welfare, education, or health.
“I have exhausted all channels. Legal proceedings, diplomatic appeals, community mediation, and faith-based outreach have all been pursued in good faith,” she said.
