856. That's how many days a young man from Dublin has spent in an Egyptian prison.
856 days, and not once has his mass trial got off the ground. In fact, it's expected to be postponed for a tenth time this Tuesday.
Ibrahim Halawa, who turns 20 today inside that prison, went on holiday with his mother and two sisters in August 2013. It was a yearly trip for them. He had just finished his Leaving Cert. The family live in Firhouse, and their dad is the Imam of Clonskeagh Mosque.
While in Cairo, Ibrahim was arrested at a political protest. Thousands of people had taken to the streets on the 16th of that month to protest against the then leader of the country, Mohammed Morsi.
A year after he became the country's first democratically elected leader, Egyptians became frustrated - with many believing he was far more interested in claiming extra control than fixing problems like the economy.
Morsi was eventually kicked out of power by the head of the Egyptian army. Since he was overthrown, Morsi has been sentenced to 20 years hard labour for ordering the unlawful detention and torture of opposition protesters. He has also been handed a death sentence for his involvement in a mass prison break.
Now, on December 13th 2015 - Ibrahim Halawa's 20th birthday - his family are asking people to send him a birthday greeting on cards they've printed up.
They hope he will receive as many of the postcards as possible, and that their arrival will give him a pick-me-up.
So far, Ibrahim has not been formally served with any charges, so it's not known what it is he is facing. His mass trial, alongside hundreds of other men, has been postponed nine times and is expected to stall again next week.
Ibrahim's barrister Katie O'Byrne from London firm Doughty Street Chambers, has been speaking exclusively to 98FM News about the 20-year-old's case.
"Obviously we all know how very important those years are, between 17 and 20 and what Ibrahim is actually missing out on in terms of his own life, and being able to live the life of an ordinary teenager and ordinary young person".
As well as sending the birthday postcards, Katie is encouraging people who feel strongly about Ibrahim's case to "write directly to the Taoiseach... to ask him to maintain a sustained international pressure on Egypt."
Anas Djebarrai, Ibrahim's best friend, has told 98FM News how he will mark his 20th birthday. "It'll be just another quiet birthday, like the other two that have gone by. We'll probably meet up with a few friends and have a chat and reminisce about the old days probably".
Human rights groups and others say that keeping Ibrahim in prison for so long without facing a court goes against all international principles of justice and humanity and are constantly calling for his immediate release.
