The results of an investigation into the torture and death of an Italian student in Cairo last month are to be presented by an Egyptian delegation Wednesday in Rome.
Casting doubt over the transparency of Egypt's investigation, Italian Prime Minister Mateo Renzi has said his country will not be “satisfied with some convenient truth” over the murder of 28-year-old Guilio Regeni. Italian prosecutors are still waiting for data from Regeni’s cellphone and surveillance video from the subway station where he was last seen.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni warns relations between the two countries will suffer if this information is not forthcoming.
Suspicions Egyptian security services bear responsibility for this murder have been reported in Italy, though Cairo declares them baseless.
Regeni had been researching labor movements in Egypt and writing articles about the sensitive topic under a pen name.
Regeni’s body, showing signs of torture, was found on February 3, nine days after his abduction amid tight security in Cairo on the fifth anniversary of the ousting of Hosni Mubarak.
Weeks later, Egyptian authorities linked the murder to criminal activity after a shootout killed four members of a gang specializing in abducting foreigners, saying Regeni’s passport was found in one of the suspects’ apartments.
Regeni’s parents have expressed dissatisfaction with the Egyptian explanation of their son’s death, calling for the Italian government to put more pressure on Egyptian authorities and declaring Egypt an “unsafe” country for Italian tourists.
His mother has also threatened to publish photos of his mutilated body, stating that she “recognized him just by the tip of his nose. The rest of him was no longer Giulio”.
Egyptian Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek says his assistant, Judge Mustafa Suleiman, will lead the delegation to Rome.
