A lawyer for the family of
Giulio Regeni, the Italian student tortured and murdered in
Egypt in early 2016, said Wednesday "from our investigations,
from our shreds of truth, there are at least 20 names involved
in the abduction and killing of Giulio, mostly generals and
colonels of the Egyptian national security service".
Lawyer Alessandra Ballerini told a press conference at
Italian journalists guild FNSI HQ that "the list could lengthen
up to 40 people".
Rome prosecutors have put five Egyptian officials under
investigation in relation to the death of Italian researcher
Regeni, sources said on Tuesday.
The officials are members of a secret services department and
of an investigative police unit in Cairo, the sources said.
They are probed for alleged involvement in kidnapping,
according to the sources.
They were named as General Sabir Tareq, colonels Usham Helmy
and Ather Kamal, and major Magdi Sharif, as well as agent
Mhamoud Najem.
Regeni, 28, disappeared in Cairo on January 25, 2016, the
heavily policed fifth anniversary of the uprising that felled
former strongman Hosni Mubarak, and his mutilated body was found
in a ditch on the road to Alexandria on February 3.
His parents said they could only recognise him "from the tip
of his nose".
Regeni, from the northern Friuli region, was researching
Egyptian street sellers' unions for Cambridge University, a
politically sensitive issue.
The head of the Cairo street sellers' union said he flagged
up Regeni to the security services.
Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said
Tuesday that Italy wanted the names of the people responsible.
"We have been waiting for three years," Salvini said.
"I want to maintain good relations with Egypt and I'll do
everything to have good economic, cultural, trade and social
relations with a friendly country.
"But as an Italian, I expect the names and surnames of the
culprits".
Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi last week summoned
the Egyptian ambassador to remind him of the urgency of the case
while Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di
Maio said "everything will be affected" by more Egyptian
foot-dragging, including the activities of oil and gas giant
ENI.
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