Rome, 13 July (LaPresse) – Giulio Regeni was not abducted by the Cairo security services, but by terrorist groups active in Egypt in 2016 who allegedly mistook him for a spy working for the Egyptian intelligence services. This is the account put forward today in the bunker courtroom at Rebibbia Prison, where the hearing in the trial concerning the abduction, torture and murder of the researcher from Friuli concluded with the defence closing statements. The lawyers for the accused Egyptian intelligence agents have ruled out any responsibility on the part of National Security, further arguing that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would have had no interest in jeopardising relations with Italy through a crime of such magnitude. The defence lawyers also reiterated that the Egyptian authorities had cooperated with the Italian judiciary to the extent permitted by current legislation, whilst also expressing their sympathy for Regeni’s family. This argument was rejected by the lawyer representing the researcher’s parents, who asked the judges to uphold in full the requests made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. At the previous hearing, in fact, Rome’s Chief Public Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi and Deputy Public Prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco had asked the judges of the Court of Assizes to sentence Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif to life imprisonment and the other three defendants to 17 years’ imprisonment.” In the dock, albeit in absentia, are Tarek Sabir, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif and Usama Morsi, all members of the Egyptian security services.
Regeni case: Egyptian defence lawyers claim Giulio was the victim of a terrorist kidnapping
Rome, 13 July (LaPresse) – Giulio Regeni was not abducted by the Cairo security services, but by terrorist groups active in Egypt in 2016 who allegedly mistook him for a spy working for the Egyptian intelligence services. This is the account put forward today in the bunker courtroom at Rebibbia Prison, where the hearing in the trial concerning the abduction, torture and murder of the researcher from Friuli concluded with the defence closing statements. The lawyers for the accused Egyptian intelligence agents have ruled out any responsibility on the part of National Security, further arguing that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would have had no interest in jeopardising relations with Italy through a crime of such magnitude. The defence lawyers also reiterated that the Egyptian authorities had cooperated with the Italian judiciary to the extent permitted by current legislation, whilst also expressing their sympathy for Regeni’s family. This argument was rejected by the lawyer representing the researcher’s parents, who asked the judges to uphold in full the requests made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. At the previous hearing, in fact, Rome’s Chief Public Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi and Deputy Public Prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco had asked the judges of the Court of Assizes to sentence Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif to life imprisonment and the other three defendants to 17 years’ imprisonment.” In the dock, albeit in absentia, are Tarek Sabir, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif and Usama Morsi, all members of the Egyptian security services.
