The trial of Dubliner Ibrahim Halawa on terrorism and other charges is due to take place tomorrowafter the hearing was adjourned for the 12th time in January.
However, Mr Halawa’s family and the Department of Foreign Affairs both say they have received no confirmation that the trial will go ahead this time.
Mr Halawa (20), from Firhouse in Dublin, is standing trial alongside 419 other defendants on charges that include terrorism, murder and the use of explosives.
He was detained in Egypt in August 2013 after he was arrested at the al-Fateh mosque in Cairo during protests against the former president, Mohamed Morsi.
Mr Halawa’s sister Somaia has warned that her brother’s health is deteriorating and that he is suffering from an ongoing chest infection.
“The breathing problem is causing him to lose control of his breath which leads to him fainting,” she said.
“He never suffered from chest pain and breathing issues before. Ibrahim’s physical and mental health are deteriorating without any medical treatment or monitoring.”
Shaved head
Ms Halawa said her brother’s books, pens and paper were recently confiscated after he refused to sign a statement stating he had never been physical abused in the prison. His head was also shaved as punishment, she said.
The statement, she said, was as part of a UN investigation into her brother’s treatment as a “prisoner of conscience” following pressure from international campaigners and human rights groups.
After more than two years of calling for her brother’s release, Ms Halawa said the family felt “disgusted” and “unwanted”.
In an interview with The Irish Times last August, Egyptian ambassador Soha Gendi said she had done her utmost to explore all possibilities "to get the kid out of prison" in what Egypt regards as "a terrorism case".
Ms Halawa described the ambassador’s use of the word “terrorism” when referring to her brother as “upsetting and wrong”.
