A Rome judge on Monday suspended a
trial of four Egyptian security officers in the 2017 abduction,
torture and murder in Cairo of Italian student Giulio Regeni due
to lack of cooperation from Egyptian authorities in locating the
four to serve notice they have been indicted.
The preliminary hearings judge (GUP) ordered ROS special branch
Carabinieri to carry out fresh efforts to track down the four.
The next hearing in the case was set for October 10.
The GUP described the Cairo prosecutor-general's arguments as to
why the defendants cannot be found as "wholly specious", adding
that "the Egyptian authorities' refusal to cooperate is now a
proven fact".
On October 10 the GUP will hear from the justice ministry's
judicial affairs office chief Nicola Russo on possible
developments after the statement sent by the Egyptians following
a meeting on March 15.
There has been "no cooperation whatsoever" from Egyptian
authorities on the alleged abduction, torture and murder in
Cairo in early 2016 of Italian Cambridge University doctoral
researcher Regeni, according to a justice ministry note issued
for Monday's hearing into the four Egyptian security officers
accused in the case.
The note described the stance of Egyptian authorities as one of
"total closure" on the case of the 28-year-old Friuli-born
researcher into Egyptian street-seller unions, who was tortured
so badly his mother said she only recognised him by the tip of
his nose.
Italy is trying to notify the four officers of their indictments
in order for the case to proceed with their trial in absentia,
which ran into a brick wall last year after Cairo refused to
help locate them.
The fresh hearing before the GUP was expected to say whether the
case can nonetheless go ahead again or not.
Regeni, whose research topic was a politically sensitive issue,
was tortured for days, resulting in "acute physical suffering"
by being subjected to kicks, punches, beaten with sticks and
bats and cut with sharp objects, and also being burned with
red-hot objects and slammed into walls, Rome prosecutors say.
His neck was then snapped in a fatal blow.
At various times Egypt has advanced differing explanations for
Regeni's death including a car accident, a gay lovers' tiff and
abduction and murder by an alleged kidnapping gang that was
wiped out after Regeni's documents were planted in their lair.
Lack of cooperation on the case by Egypt led to Rome's
temporarily withdrawing its ambassador from Cairo for a spell.
The Regenis have appealed to the EU for help in finding the
truth about their son's slaying and have condemned continued
Italian arms sales to Egypt including two frigates.
In mid-February, after European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, European
Commission Spokesperson Dana Spinant said the EU has asked and
continues to ask for full cooperation from the Egyptian
authorities with the Italian authorities in investigating the
circumstances of Regeni's death.
National Security General Tariq Sabir and his subordinates,
Colonels Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim and Uhsam Helmi, and Major
Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif, were on trial at the third Court
of Assizes in Rome in October when a judge ruled the trial could
not proceed because they had not been served notice of it.
Hence the continued Italian efforts to contact them and inform
them they have been indicted.
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