Amnesty International Spokesman, in Italy, Riccardo Nuri called on Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to implement more severe measures against Egypt after Cairo’s recent decision not to cooperate with Italian investigators regarding the murder of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni.
Nuri was quoted by an Italian state radio saying that the recent refusal by the authorities in Cairo to cooperate with Italian investigators means that the case has been frozen and the Italian part should initiate taking severe measures toward Egypt as soon as possible.
The rights watchdog spokesman demanded the Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni implement what he promised, which is “more severe measures” against Egypt in the event of non-cooperation regarding the investigation.
The committees of foreign affairs, defense, national security and human rights in the Egyptian parliament endorsed on Tuesday a decision to refuse the Italian side’s demands to handle the recordings of one million voice calls and footage extracted from cameras in a number of places in Egypt.
The Egyptian authorities claim that the decision is that providing such data to Italy would be a “unconstitutional”. Italy had also reportedly asked Egypt to hand over three people who were linked to Regeni during his stay in Egypt.
Last month, the Italian Senate voted to halt supplies to Egypt of spare parts for F16 warplanes in protest against the killing of Italian student Giulio Regeni earlier this year. Two months ago, Italy has also recalled the Italian ambassador from Egypt to put pressure on the Egyptian counterpart to unveil the truth about Regeni’s murder.
Giulio Regeni, the Ph.D. student who was doing postgraduate research into Egyptian trade unions, disappeared on the fifth anniversary of January Revolution.The Cambridge University student’s body was found brutally tortured in a roadside ditch on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, on February 3, 2016. His mother said that she could only recognize him by his nose.
Torture found on Regeni’s body showed the signs of Egypt’s security forces which are known for using violence against detainees to gain information and confessions.
