Ibrahim Halawa and solicitor Darragh Mackin address human rights event in Dublin

Freed prisoner Ibrahim Halawa and his solicitor, Darragh Mackin of KRW Law, stressed the importance of human rights at an event at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) this week.

Mr Halawa was released from jail in Cairo last year after over four years of pre-trial detention and an international campaign for his release.

Mr Halawa told the meeting hosted by DU Amnesty and Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) to consider the plight of other innocent people jailed by undemocratic regimes, the University Times reports.

He said: “My story is over and I’m living my life now. I always try to raise awareness about other people who are just as innocent as I am. When I do these talks, I don’t want to just focus on my story.”

Mr Mackin stressed the importance of fundamental human rights, describing Egypt as a country where “human rights don’t exist”.

He spoke of scores of other prisoners accosting him when visiting Mr Halawa in prison to ask for his help with their cases.

Ending the meeting with a rallying call,, Mr Halawa said: “Democracy wasn’t only made for Ireland. Democracy wasn’t made for ‘everywhere else’. Democracy was made for the whole world. Never go to bed without thinking: is there someone I can help?”