schema:articleBody
| - Prosecutors in Rome said on Thursday they planned to charge four Egyptian security officers in the torture and death of Italian student Giulio Regeni, at the culmination of a long investigation. Regeni, 28, a Cambridge University graduate in Egypt researching trade unions, was kidnapped in January 2016 and his mutilated body was later found in the outskirts of Cairo. His death sparked outrage in Italy and strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, with Italy's government accusing Egyptian authorities of non-cooperation. "We think we've collected elements of significant proof," Public Prosecutor Michele Prestipino told a parliamentary commission, where he announced the investigation was complete. "We are going to ask to begin a criminal action concerning certain members of the Egyptian security services," Prestipino said. "We owe it to the memory of Giulio Regeni." Relations with judicial authorities in Egypt during the course of the probe were "laborous and complex," he added. Since Regeni's death, Italian investigators have rejected multiple theories over the cause put forward by Egyptian authorities, including that Regeni had been working as a spy, or that he was the victim of a criminal gang. Late last month, Egypt said it would "temporarily close" its parallel investigation into Regeni's murder, saying Rome's accusations were based on insufficient evidence. "For the murder of Giulio Regeni there will be only one trial and it will take place in Italy with procedural guarantees according to our laws," Prestipino said. The suspects -- three members of the security forces and one member of the police -- are accused of kidnapping Regeni, with one suspected of the "aggravated assault and aggravated homicide" of the student, Prestipino said. An investigation into a fifth Egyptian was dropped. Regeni had been researching the sensitive topic of labour movements in Egypt and had written articles critical of the government under a pen name. Regeni's mother has said she only recognised her tortured son following his death by "the tip of his nose." ljm-ams/ar/pma
|