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Body of Italian Man Missing in Egypt Found With Signs of Torture Body of Italian Man Missing in Egypt Found With Signs of Torture
(35 minutes later)
CAIRO — The body of an Italian research student who disappeared on Jan. 25, the fifth anniversary of the start of the uprising that eventually toppled President Hosni Mubarak, has been found with “evident signs of torture” on the outskirts of the city, an Egyptian prosecutor said on Thursday. CAIRO — The body of an Italian research student who disappeared in Cairo on Jan. 25, the fifth anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, has been found with “evident signs of torture” on the outskirts of the city, an Egyptian prosecutor said on Thursday.
The discovery of the student, Giulio Regeni, 28, a Ph.D. candidate at Cambridge University, was met with anger in Italy, where the Foreign Ministry summoned Egypt’s ambassador to press for a joint investigation. The members of a government-led trade delegation have also returned home early. The discovery of the student, Giulio Regeni, 28, a Ph.D. candidate at Cambridge University, was met with anger in Italy, where the Foreign Ministry summoned Egypt’s ambassador to press for a joint investigation. The members of a government-led trade delegation from Italy also left Egypt earlier than originally planned.
Mr. Regeni arrived in Cairo in October to study Arabic and to conduct field research for his doctorate in labor movements. He disappeared on Jan. 25 despite tight security in the Egyptian capital, where the authorities had sought to quell any public demonstrations connected to the fall of Mr. Mubarak.Mr. Regeni arrived in Cairo in October to study Arabic and to conduct field research for his doctorate in labor movements. He disappeared on Jan. 25 despite tight security in the Egyptian capital, where the authorities had sought to quell any public demonstrations connected to the fall of Mr. Mubarak.
Friends said Mr. Regeni was last seen walking toward a metro station during the evening on his way to meet a friend at a downtown cafe. The search received extensive public attention in recent days, as friends appealed for information and his parents flew into Cairo. Friends said Mr. Regeni had last been seen walking toward a metro station during the evening on his way to meet a friend at a downtown cafe. The search received extensive public attention in recent days, as friends appealed for information and his parents flew to Cairo.
Mr. Regeni’s body was discovered Wednesday night in a suburb of Cairo, on the desert highway leading to Alexandria, said Ahmed Nagy, the Egyptian prosecutor in charge of the investigation.Mr. Regeni’s body was discovered Wednesday night in a suburb of Cairo, on the desert highway leading to Alexandria, said Ahmed Nagy, the Egyptian prosecutor in charge of the investigation.
Mr. Nagy said that Mr. Regeni’s body had been found naked from the waist down and that there were “evident signs of torture all over the body, concentrated around the face and the back,” including multiple stab wounds. The cause of death was not clear, he said.Mr. Nagy said that Mr. Regeni’s body had been found naked from the waist down and that there were “evident signs of torture all over the body, concentrated around the face and the back,” including multiple stab wounds. The cause of death was not clear, he said.
His body was identified by one of his roommates and was being kept at a morgue in central Cairo awaiting an autopsy, Mr. Nagy added.His body was identified by one of his roommates and was being kept at a morgue in central Cairo awaiting an autopsy, Mr. Nagy added.
Dozens of Egyptians have disappeared after being taken into custody by the security forces in recent months, often without being arrested, human rights groups say, but it is rare for a foreigner to disappear in such a manner. Dozens of Egyptians disappeared after being taken into custody by security forces in recent months, often without being arrested, rights groups say, but it would be rare for a foreigner to disappear in such a manner.
Friends said they could not rule out the possibility that his death was the result of a random criminal act, a botched kidnapping or Islamic militancy. In August, a militant group associated with the Islamic State beheaded Tomislav Salopek, a Croatian man, after snatching him on the outskirts of Cairo.Friends said they could not rule out the possibility that his death was the result of a random criminal act, a botched kidnapping or Islamic militancy. In August, a militant group associated with the Islamic State beheaded Tomislav Salopek, a Croatian man, after snatching him on the outskirts of Cairo.
The circumstances of Mr. Regeni’s death prompted an Italian trade delegation, led by the economic development minister, Federica Guidi, to cut short a visit to Cairo. In Rome, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it expected “maximum collaboration at all levels in light of the exceptional gravity of what happened.” “We want the truth to come out, every last bit of it,” the Italian foreign affairs minister, Paolo Gentiloni, told the national broadcaster RAI, Agence France-Presse reported. “We owe that much to a family that has been stricken in an irreparable way and, at the very least, has the right to know the truth.”
The circumstances of Mr. Regeni’s death prompted the Italian trade delegation, led by the economic development minister, Federica Guidi, to cut short a visit to Cairo. In Rome, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it expected “maximum collaboration at all levels in light of the exceptional gravity of what happened.”
Italy said it was seeking “full clarity” on the case and “renewed the request that Egyptian authorities immediately start a joint investigation with the participation of Italian experts.”Italy said it was seeking “full clarity” on the case and “renewed the request that Egyptian authorities immediately start a joint investigation with the participation of Italian experts.”
The Egyptian ambassador to Italy, Amr Mostafa Kamal Helmy, pledged that Egypt would collaborate fully, according to the statement.The Egyptian ambassador to Italy, Amr Mostafa Kamal Helmy, pledged that Egypt would collaborate fully, according to the statement.
Labor movements, the subject of Mr. Regini’s studies, can be a sensitive subject in Egypt, where the government has sought to quell many forms of dissent. Labor movements, the subject of Mr. Regini’s studies, can be a delicate subject in Egypt, where the government has sought to quell many forms of dissent.
But Mr. Regeni’s supervisor at the American University in Cairo, Rabab el-Mahdi, said he been cautious about his work in Egypt. “He steered clear of anything that was politicized,” she said. But Mr. Regeni’s supervisor at the American University in Cairo, Rabab el-Mahdi, said he had been cautious about his work in Egypt. “He steered clear of anything that was politicized,” she said.
Egyptian investigations into the deaths of other foreigners in recent months, including a group of Mexican tourists who were killed by accident by the security forces in the Western Desert and the hundreds of tourists on a Russian jet that was apparently brought down by a bomb, have been criticized for their lack of transparency. Egyptian investigations into the deaths of other foreigners in recent months, including a group of Mexican tourists who were killed by accident by security forces in the Western Desert and the hundreds of tourists on a Russian jet that was apparently brought down by a bomb, have been criticized for their lack of transparency.
On social media, some Egyptians expressed alarm that a foreigner could disappear on a day when the security forces were out in force on the streets of Cairo.On social media, some Egyptians expressed alarm that a foreigner could disappear on a day when the security forces were out in force on the streets of Cairo.
The novelist Ahdaf Soueif said on her Facebook page that there was “something so extra sad about a person who comes to Egypt in good faith to live and study and gets caught in this nightmare, this obtuse and brutal thuggery that’s the undertone of our lives here today.”The novelist Ahdaf Soueif said on her Facebook page that there was “something so extra sad about a person who comes to Egypt in good faith to live and study and gets caught in this nightmare, this obtuse and brutal thuggery that’s the undertone of our lives here today.”