ROME, Oct 14 The trial of four Egyptian security officers for the brutal killing in Cairo five years ago of Italian student Giulio Regeni opened in absentia in Rome today. The officers stand accused of kidnapping, conspiracy to murder and grievous bodily harm in the case, which sparked outrage.
Published date: 16 December 2020 10:44 UTC | Last update: 3 months 2 weeks ago
If justice is delivered for Regeni in Italy, it could be delivered - at least symbolically - to all victims of the regime
Activists demonstrate in Turin, Italy, on 25 January, marking the fourth anniversary since the disappearance and subsequent murder of Giulio Regeni (AFP)
Four Egyptian security officers, including a former general, will likely stand trial in absentia in Italy for the torture and murder of Giulio Regeni, Italian prosecutors said this week after a complex, five-year investigation.
Rome s chief prosecutor Michele Prestipino said they had collected “unequivocal and significant” evidence and testimonies that led to the indictment of the officers, despite Cairo’s lack of collaboration. While the Egyptian defendants will have several weeks to react to their indictment - which is unlikely, as Cairo has refused to provide the Italian judicia
Italian prosecutors are seeking answers from four members of Egypt’s security forces over the abduction and murder of an Italian student in Cairo.
Giulio Regeni’s brutalised body was found by the side of a road on the outskirts of Egypt’s capital in February 2016, bearing signs of extensive torture. He disappeared nine days earlier and was last seen near a subway stop in Cairo.
Rome prosecutors said on Thursday a four-year investigation was formally closed with “unequivocal” proof of the four agents’ responsibility.
They now plan to press charges against Tariq Saber, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Uhsam Helmi, and Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif for aggravated kidnapping. Sharif is also being investigated for aggravated injury and murder.