The West must reconsider its
relations with Egypt in light of the torture and murder of
Italian student Giulio Regeni earlier this year, The New York
Times said in an editorial out Friday.
"A stalled investigation into the abduction and murder of
(Regeni) has forced at least one of these countries, Italy, to
reconsider its relationship," the paper wrote. "It is time for
other Western democracies to reconsider theirs".
The paper added that "Italy has asked other European
governments to put pressure on Egypt. On Tuesday, the British
government finally called for 'a full and transparent
investigation' into Mr. Regeni's murder - but it did so only
after a petition signed by more than 10,000 people forced it to
respond. There has been shameful silence from France, whose
president, François Hollande, travels to Cairo on Monday to sign
a $1.1 billion weapons deal".
"Human rights abuses in Egypt under President Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi have reached new highs, yet the Western governments that
trade with and arm Egypt have continued to pursue business as
usual with the argument that regional security and economic
interests trump all," The New York Times continued.
"The brunt of Mr. Sisi's crackdown has, of course, fallen
on Egyptians, thousands of whom have been arrested, and many
tortured and killed.
Regeni, 28, was abducted in Cairo on January 25 and his
severely tortured body resurfaced in a ditch on the outskirts of
the Egyptian capital on February 3.
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