I have heard from Shanghai that Richard O’Halloran, an innocent Irish businessman has commenced his journey home having had his freedom to travel restored by a court in Shanghai.
This is great news for Richard, Tara and their children. This is his third year of separation from his family, a wholly unjust and cruel detention of an Irish citizen in China.
His human rights and those of his family have been grossly violated on a prolonged basis by an unjust and indefensible hostage taking wholly outside what is permissible in international human rights law.
I want to thank all of those people who have supported Richard in recent years for their steadfast support.
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Watch Senator McDowell’s contributions in Seanad Éireann on the detention of Richard O’Halloran
Debate transcripts on the detention of Richard O’Halloran