Charlie Flanagan to raise Ibrahim Halawa case in talks

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan is to discuss the incarceration of Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa with his Egyptian counterpart as part of a visit to the Middle East.

Mr Halawa was arrested in August 2013 following a protest at the Al-Fateh mosque in Cairo and has been in custody since.

In a statement following his arrival in Egypt, his department said he would raise the issue with foreign minister Sameh Shoukry as one of a "range of bilateral issues".

“The sensitive case of Ibrahim Halawa remains a priority for me,” Mr Flanagan said.

Since his arrest as a 17-year-old, Mr Halawa has had his trial postponed 13 times and is due back in court later this month. His case continues to attract publicity due to the protracted nature of its resolution.

Australian Peter Greste, the Al-Jazeera journalist who was imprisoned alongside Mr Halawa but later released, said earlier this month Ireland had a responsibility to lobby "very hard for due process".

He said it seemed wrong that Mr Halawa was not getting the same level of support that he did.