The trial 494 other defendants in the ‘Al-Fateh Mosque' mass-trial was postponed Saturday, with the next session to be held on 9 January. The defendants' lawyers withdraw from court as a protest. The court postponed the session as some of the defendants will be referred to a hospital. The trial includes Irish teenager named Ibrahim Halawa. The 19-year-old is one of several hundred people facing charges of murder and attempted murder in relation to an August 2013 incident at the Al-Fateh Mosque in Cairo's Ramses area. According to the government, there was an "exchange of fire" between the security forces and protesters located in the outer areas of the mosque, resulting in the deaths of at least 97 people. The latest development case in of Halawa included a resolution from the European Parliament's to release Halawa. The parliament had passed the resolution last Thursday calling for the release of him. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zaid said in statements Friday that the decision is considered a violation against Egyptian judiciary, "a matter which is totally refused by Egypt and is rejected by sovereign countries". Abu Zaid also referred to some "flaws and claims" such as the possibility of a death sentence directed to Halawa. He also rejected the European Parliament "claim" that Halawa was tortured, citing several visits by officials at the Irish embassy in Egypt. The European parliament claimed that Halawa, who was arrested in protest after the dispersal of Rabaa sit in, was on a "family holiday in Cairo".
