Trial Resumes in Rome for Egyptian Agents Accused in Giulio Regeni’s Murder

The trial of four Egyptian security agents, charged with the kidnapping and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, resumed in Rome on Tuesday. Regeni, a Cambridge University postgraduate, vanished in Cairo in January 2016, with his tortured body discovered days later. Despite Egypt’s claim of gangster involvement and denial of state complicity, Italian prosecutors have named Maj. Magdi Sharif, Maj. Gen. Tarek Sabir, Col. Hisham Helmy, and Col. Ather Kamal as responsible for Regeni’s “aggravated kidnapping” and subsequent death. The trial, initially opened in October 2021 but paused over legal concerns, continues with the accused being tried in absentia due to Egypt’s noncooperation in summoning the suspects. Italy’s highest court has ruled the trial should proceed, despite the accused possibly being unaware of their charges. Italian and Egyptian investigations have diverged sharply, with Italy accusing Egyptian officials of sabotaging the inquiry.