The lawyer for the family of the Italian researcher, Giulio Regeni, accused the Egyptian regime of involvement in the killing of her client about 5 years ago, days after the Italian public prosecutor charged 4 Egyptian officers in preparation for the start of their trial.

Lawyer Alessandra Ballerini said in an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera that she does not believe that the order to kill the Italian researcher in early 2016 in the suburbs of Cairo was an individual act.

In this context, she indicated that the life of an Italian citizen cannot be ended individually, but rather by a decision from the top of the Egyptian regime, she said.

The Italian lawyer explained that the victim was tortured for 9 days, but that did not kill him.

Commenting on what the investigations revealed, Ballerini confirmed that the process of monitoring Regeni and then kidnapping and killing him, many individuals participated in, and that the search must continue to uncover the entire network, she said.

She said that the Italian Public Prosecutor's announcement to close investigations of charging 4 Egyptian officers is a very important matter, and means a new chapter in the transition to trial on charges of kidnapping, torture and murder.

In her statements to Al-Jazeera, the lawyer stated that when the Regeni family embarked on the journey to find the truth more than 4 years ago, the mission seemed impossible.

Julio Regeni is a graduate student at the University of Cambridge, and he was conducting research in Cairo to obtain a doctorate, and on the anniversary of the January 25 revolution in 2016 he disappeared for 9 days, and then his body was found in February 2016 in the suburbs of Cairo with signs of torture.

Despite the evidence provided by Italy that Egyptian security personnel were involved in the crime, the Egyptian regime continued to deny this, and gave an account that Regeni was killed by a gang that wanted to steal him, and that the security forces killed their members.

Important trial


The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had said that what was issued by the Attorney General in Rome regarding the results of the investigations regarding the murder of Giulio Regeni is very important, with strong evidence that leaves no room for doubt.

Conte added that the trial will be of international importance, and that there is a possibility of the participation of international observers, despite numerous attempts made by unnamed parties to prevent this from happening.

He described Regeni's murder as hideous, stressing his government's commitment to providing all possible support to reveal the truth in this case.

Earlier, the Italian Attorney General, Michael Preetipino, announced the end of the investigations into the case of Regeni's murder in Egypt in 2016, with charges of premeditated murder, torture and kidnapping against 4 Egyptian officers, while the case against the fifth accused was dropped due to insufficient evidence.

Italian sources revealed to Al-Jazeera that there are records with the Italian Public Prosecutor's Office, relating to an Egyptian accused in the case of the murder of the Italian researcher in Egypt.

The sources said that Egyptian security had searched Regeni's apartment before kidnapping him and threatening his roommate, and added that the Egyptian authorities had asked Regeni's partner to monitor him.

She indicated that Regeni's surveillance was carried out under the supervision of Officer Aser Kamal, who is responsible for monitoring foreigners in Egypt, and that the surveillance took place through the Nasr City section near the National Security building in which the victim was killed.

The sources confirmed that the person watching Regeni made two calls to the officer, Asir Kamal, 19 days before the victim's disappearance.

According to Italian investigations, Regeni, who was 26 at the time of the accident, was tortured several times during his detention, and died as a result of a blow to the head from the back.