Italian prosecutors plan to charge Egyptian officials over murder of Guilio Regeni

The parents of murdered Italian student Giulio Regeni have condemned Egyptian authorities for covering up his death

Credit: ANSA

Italian prosecutors said on Thursday they plan to charge four senior members of Egypt’s security services over the kidnap and murder of Cambridge University student Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016. 

General Tariq Sabir, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Captain Uhsam Helmi, and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif are accused of abducting the 28-year-old Italian, and Mr Sherif of grievous bodily harm and murder.

A fifth man, Mahmoud Najem, is not being charged due to insufficient evidence.

Regeni, who was conducting academic research into Egyptian trade unions, disappeared in January 2016 on the fifth anniversary of protests that overthrow longstanding Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak.

His mutilated corpse was discovered a week later dumped on the Cairo-Alexandria road, with an autopsy showing he had been tortured. His mother said she was only able to identify him by the tip of his nose.

Italian and Egyptian investigators initially worked the case together but Italian investigators pursued their own enquiry after reportedly becoming frustrated by the intransigence of their Egyptian counterparts.

Witnesses told Italian prosecutors that Regeni was detained by Egyptian security services after the head of the street sellers union denounced him as a spy.

Egypt has offered conflicting explanations for Regeni’s death, including that he was a victim of a gang that kidnapped foreigners for money. 

In March 2016, Egyptian police killed four men, allegedly in a shoot out, claiming that they were responsible for Regini’s murder. His passport and student IDs were then shown in what was said to be their lair. Egyptian prosecutors later discounted this theory.

Italian prosecutors have repeatedly asked Egypt to hand over the suspects but Egypt continues to deny any official involvement in Regeni’s killing. With no extradition treaty with Italy, Egypt will not extradite the suspects but they may be tried in absentia.

Egypt’s prosecutor general Hamada al Sawi said there is insufficient evidence to prove the charges by Italian prosecutors. 

Earlier this month Egyptian authorities said they were temporarily halting their investigation into Regeni’s murder, saying the killer remained unknown. 

Regeni’s parents, Paola and Claudio, condemned the Egyptian investigation into their son’s death. 

"In these years we have suffered wounds and outrages of all kinds from the Egyptian side, they have abducted, tortured and killed our son, they have thrown mud and discredit on him, they have lied, insulted and deceived not only us but the whole country,” they said in a statement carried by Italian national news agency ANSA.     

The four men or their lawyers now have 20 days to submit their defence or ask to be heard before prosecutors seek an indictment from a judge.