Regeni case still complicating ties between Rome, Cairo
Almost three years on, Egypt has yet to reach tangible results in the murder case of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, but now Italy’s public prosecutor has named five Egyptian national security officers as suspects.
CAIRO — Tired of waiting for action from Cairo, Italy has named five members of Egypt's security forces as suspects in the torture and murder of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, whose mutilated body was found in February 2016 on a road on the outskirts of Cairo. Meanwhile, Egyptian officials are pondering the potential ramifications of what Italy sees as foot-dragging.
The case has always strained relations between the two countries, and tensions rose Nov. 29 when the Italian parliament decided to sever ties with its Egyptian counterpart, citing a lack of progress in the joint investigation. That day, the public prosecutor's office in Rome said it is officially investigating five suspects. They have been identified as Lt. Gen. Tareq Saber, Maj. Sherif Magdi, Col. Hesham Helmi, Col. Aser Kamal and junior police officer Mahmoud Nagm.
In a Dec. 5 press conference, Alessandra Ballerini, the lawyer representing Regeni's family, said Italian forensic investigators and a legal team have been collecting information since his body was found. She said the list of suspects was made following a thorough investigation with a legal team in Egypt. Nevertheless, on Dec. 3, Egypt had declined to press charges against the security officers, saying the evidence was insufficient.
Rakha Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, thinks otherwise.
