Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
A court in Rome has convicted three Egyptian security officers in connection with the kidnapping of an Italian student whose tortured body was discovered in Cairo nearly ten years ago. The defendants were tried in absentia and denied the allegations against them. On Monday, they received ten-year prison sentences on charges of aggravated kidnapping, while a fourth Egyptian defendant was acquitted.
Giulio Regeni, 28 years old, was pursuing doctoral studies at Cambridge University when he disappeared during a research visit to Egypt in 2016. His body was found days later, mutilated and discarded in a ditch near Cairo. An autopsy confirmed that he had been subjected to torture prior to his death.
Investigations into Regeni’s case were initially a joint effort between Italian and Egyptian prosecutors, although the two sides eventually reached differing conclusions. Egyptian officials blamed criminal gangs and proposed alternative scenarios for his death, such as a traffic accident, a failed drug deal, or a robbery gone wrong. They strongly denied any state involvement in the disappearance or killing of Regeni. In contrast, the Italian prosecution implicated Egypt’s national security agency in orchestrating the crime.
The defendants in the case include General Tariq Sabir, Colonel Usham Helmi, Colonel Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif. Sabir was the only defendant to be acquitted. The ruling has been welcomed by Rome’s chief prosecutor and by lawyers representing Regeni’s family. Alessandra Ballerini, the family’s legal representative, stated, “From today, people around the world can feel safer. Impunity can be defeated and democracies can place limits on arbitrary power.” Throughout the years following the tragedy, Regeni’s family has tirelessly advocated for justice. According to AFP, courtroom attendees, many wearing yellow as part of the campaign, remained silent as the verdict was delivered
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.