Italian delegation in Cairo Saturday for talks on Regeni case

An Italian security delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday to discuss with Egyptian officials the ongoing investigation into the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo earlier this year, an Egyptian judicial source told Ahram Online.

Italian sources told ANSA news agency that the Cairo meeting comes following a request by Egypt’s prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek.

ANSA also reported that the Egyptian prosecutor-general provided the phone records of 13 individuals, which Rome prosecutors believe may provide clues to who killed Regeni.

Regeni, a 28-year-old PhD student, vanished from the streets of Cairo in the evening hours of 25 January, with his body discovered in a ditch on the outskirts of the city nine days later, showing signs of extensive torture.

Egypt has repeatedly denied accusations by critics locally and internationally that security officials were involved in the murder.

Earlier this month, an Egyptian security delegation visited Rome to share its most recent findings in the case with their Italian counterparts.

The head of the delegation, a prosecutorial aide, said upon return to Cairo that the request for phone records was the main point of contention at the Rome meetings due to it being “illegal and unconstitutional.”

The inability of the Egyptian authorities to identify and apprehend those who killed Regeni has strained relations between Cairo and Rome, who enjoy strong political and economic ties.

Italian police and government officials have urged Cairo to do more in making available to Rome information they believe would help in resolving the case.

source: Reuters