Murder of Giulio Regeni: the trial of four Egyptian police officers opens in Rome
The Italian public prosecutor's office believes that Giulio Regeni died of respiratory failure caused by the blows carried by Major Magdi Cherif.
Marco BERTORELLO AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The trial of four Egyptian police officers opened today in Rome - in their absence.
They are accused of being behind the murder of Italian Giulio Regeni, whose body was found horribly mutilated in Cairo in 2016. The case shocked Italy and caused a crisis in relations with Egypt.
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On January 25, 2016, Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Italian student, who lives in Cairo, leaves his home to join a friend.
But he disappears on the way.
Ten days later, his body was found in a ditch by the side of a road.
Half naked, he bears marks of torture.
An inconvenient job for the authorities
Was the young man eliminated because his job got in the way?
He was researching independent unions in Egypt, a very sensitive topic.
In any case, the affair provokes immense emotion in Italy, his country of origin.
Rome demands explanations from Cairo, even recalls its ambassador.
But the Egyptian authorities are dragging their feet, no investigation is really carried out.
And the thesis of a heinous crime is advanced.
Italy then sends its own investigators on the spot.
Identified suspects
And, in 2018, identifies several suspects.
Four members of the National Security, infamous for its abuses against Egyptian opponents, are finally called to appear before Italian justice.
But none of them are present at the trial today.
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Egypt
Justice
Criminality
Italy