Cambridge to set up Regeni scholarship, 'fully cooperating'

(ANSA) - Cambridge, January 11 - Cambridge University is to set up a scholarship in the name of Giulio Regeni, the Italian student tortured and murdered in Cairo while doing research for the British university early in 2016, university press office spokesman Angel Gurria told ANSA Thursday. Gurria said the university was working on the initiative to honour the PhD student who was doing research on Egyptian streetseller trade unions when he was abducted. Regeni's former supervisor, Dr Maha Abdelrahman, is "fully cooperating" with Rome prosecutors in their probe into his death, the university told ANSA in a statement Thursday. Dr Abdelrahman answered "all the questions" put to her by the prosecutors on Tuesday, and said she had "voluntarily handed over the documents requested" when her home and office were searched Wednesday. The university said it, too, would fully cooperate with the probe.
    The university had been criticised in Italy for allegedly being tight-lipped on the case.
    Italiam media also reported Thursday that Abdelrahman's files were seized because she had again failed to answer questions. Regeni was abducted on January 25, 2016, the heavily policed fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled former strongman Hosni Mubarak. His tortured body was found on the road to Alexandria on February 3. Egyptian security forces, who are frequently accused of brutally repressing opponents, have said they had no part in the death of the Friuli-born researcher, whose work on trade unions was politically sensitive.
    In the search of Dr Abdelrahman's home and office, Rome prosecutors seized a PC, pen drive, hard disk and cellphone. Dr Abdelrahman reportedly told the prosecutors Tuesday Regeni had freely chosen his PhD subject.