THE TRIAL OF Ibrahim Halawa has been postponed for a 17th time today – his 21st birthday.

Halawa’s trial has been delayed constantly since his initial incarceration in 2013.

His trial has been rescheduled for 17 January 2017.

He was arrested and detained at a protest in Cairo in August 2013. The demonstration was in support of the Muslim Brotherhood which had been ousted from power by the Egyptian military.

His three sisters were released from prison in November, 2013.

The Egyptian authorities have chosen to try Halawa in a mass trial along with almost 500 other people, a decision that has led to the repeated postponements.

Amnesty International’s Colm O’Gorman called the 40-month detention “farcical”.

“It is beyond farcical that Ibrahim Halawa has now endured seventeen delays in his trial, spending 1,214 days imprisoned in Cairo.

“Ibrahim should be at home with his family and friends. Instead, he is living in harrowing conditions in an Egyptian prison cell. His ongoing detention represents an inexcusable violation of both international and Egyptian law.”

His case was highlighted by European Parliament President Martin Schulz, reports Europarlradio.

The station also quotes Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan as saying that “sustained diplomatic pressure” as being the only solution to Halawa’s release.