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What is a Commencement Matter:

Senators can raise issues of concern to them at the start of each sitting day – these are known as Commencement Matters. To do this, they must give notice to the Cathaoirleach of the issues they want to raise. The Cathaoirleach then selects four matters and the Senator concerned may make a four-minute speech. In each case, the Minister has the right to make a four-minute speech in reply

I ask the Leader to consider putting a joint motion before the House in the next week or so for the immediate release of an Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa, who is in prison in Cairo, Egypt. He has served 1,000 days and has said it was like 1,000 years. His mass trial has been delayed 13 times. The next trial date has been set for some time in June. Amnesty has conducted a review of the prosecution evidence and concluded that Ibrahim Halawa would not have committed the crimes for which he has been charged. The Twenty-fifth Seanad must campaign for the immediate release of Ibrahim Halawa. We have tremendously experienced people in the House, human rights advocates and legal experts, and we could take it on very quickly. This young man is languishing, in terms of suffering and torture, in jail in Cairo.