News briefing
Translated and edited by: Committee for Justice
Geneva: January 10, 2022
The judges in the trial of the killers of the Italian graduate student, Giulio Regeni, will hold a new hearing today, Monday, amid expectations that the judges will postpone the case, as a result of the Egyptian authority’s failure to notify the Italian Ministry of Justice of the residences or workplaces of the four accused, who are from a high-ranking security authority in Egypt.
The case dates back to 2016, when the body of the Italian student, Giulio Regeni, who was doing research about Egyptian trade unions, was found in Cairo. The Italian judiciary charged four Egyptian officers in absentia with the brutal murder of the Italian student, and they are; Major General Tariq Saber, Colonel Ather Kamel Muhammad Ibrahim, Hussam Helmy, and Major Ibrahim Abdel-Al Sharif; all accused of carrying out the murder.
The trial of the killers in absentia is not possible in Italy:
The judges of the court had suspended the trial of the Egyptian officers in the case of the disappearance and murder of “Regeni” in Cairo; due to concerns that the four men did not know the charges against them.
The judges of the court concluded that the four defendants could not be tried in absentia because the prosecution was unable to officially inform them of the legal procedures against them, and this was confirmed by the defense lawyers, who were appointed by the court to the four officers, that no one was able to reach them in Egypt, which means that they are not aware of the indictment against them, which renders the proceedings void.
While at a preliminary hearing in May, a judge considered that media coverage was enough to make the four officers aware of their investigation. This decision may be upheld or overturned by the court at a later time. “After five and a half years, we want a trial,” said Alessandra Ballerini, Regeni family’s lawyer, adding that what happened to their son had caused “tremendous pain”. She told the court that there was “sufficient evidence” that the defendants were aware of the court’s proceedings.
Human rights calls to secure justice against the killers:
The MENA Regional Manager at DIGNITY, Danish Institute against Torture, Giorgio Caracciolo, called on the Italian authorities to ensure justice and hold the Egyptian perpetrators accountable.
Caracciolo noted that due to the obstruction of the Egyptian authorities, the case must restart to secure due process for the four high-ranking officials responsible for Regeni’s torture and death.
The regional director of the international human rights organization DIGNITY stressed that without Egypt’s cooperation, Italy would struggle to provide notification of the ongoing trial to the accused.
