May 1, 2021 04:28:04 am
In a preliminary hearing Thursday, prosecutors requested a Rome court to place four Egyptian security officials on trial over their alleged involvement in the murder of Giulio Regeni.
Regeni, an Italian PhD student, disappeared and was found dead in Cairo in February 2016. His body showed evidence of significant trauma, and it was suspected that Regeni’s involvement in research on Egyptian trade unions may have resulted in his disappearance, as they have a history of opposition to the Egyptian government.
The Italian government blamed the Egyptian security apparatus for his death, and in late 2020 prosecutors announced Rome would seek to file charges against General Tariq Sabir, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Uhsam Helmi, and Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif, four Egyptian intelligence agents involved in the case. Among the relevant charges were aggravated abduction of a person, complicity in aggravated murder, and complicity in grievous bodily harm. Egyptian
Rome, Italy – A judge in Rome is set to decide whether four agents of Egypt’s National Security Agency (NSA) should face trial for the abduction, torture and murder of Giulio Regeni, an Italian student who was found dead on the outskirts of Cairo five years ago.
Regeni, a 28-year-old doctoral student researching trade unions in Egypt, disappeared in Cairo on January 25, 2016.
His body was found on the side of a highway nine days later, bearing extensive signs of torture.
The murder shocked Italy and led to calls to bring the perpetrators to justice, with prosecutors accusing Egyptian authorities of failing to collaborate.