An Italian prosecutor said on Thursday that graduate student Giulio Regeni, who was kidnapped and murdered in Cairo two years ago, was killed due to his research into Egypt\u2019s independent labor unions.<\/p>\n
On the second anniversary of his disappearance, Italy\u2019s main newspapers published an article written by Rome\u2019s chief prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone summarizing the results of a joint investigation with Egyptian authorities.<\/p>\n
In the article, Pignatone also said Regeni had been the target of Egyptian surveillance up until the day he vanished.<\/p>\n
Egyptian officials have repeatedly denied any involvement in Regeni\u2019s murder and Egyptian Interior Ministry officials were not immediately available on Thursday for comment on Pignatone\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n
It is the first time that Pignatone has publicly discussed the results of the investigation. No-one has been accused of Regeni\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe motive can be easily traced to Giulio\u2019s research activities during his months in Cairo,\u201d Pignatone wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat also has become clear is that Giulio had for months attracted the attention of Egypt\u2019s state apparatus, which continued in an increasingly pressing way until January 25,\u201d Pignatone said, referring to the day he disappeared.<\/p>\n
Regeni\u2019s disfigured body was found around a week later in a ditch outside Cairo.<\/p>\n
The Italian had been researching Egypt\u2019s independent labor unions for a doctorate at Britain\u2019s Cambridge University. Rome prosecutors this month seized the computer and cell phone of his Cambridge tutor, Maha Abdelrahman. Pignatone said an initial examination of the material showed it was \u201cuseful\u201d.<\/p>\n
Cambridge University has rejected any suggestion Abdelrahman might be implicated in his death.<\/p>\n
The Regeni case has strained ties between Egypt and Italy, which recalled its ambassador over the case. Relations were restored in August when Rome said it would return its ambassador to Cairo and continue to search for Regeni\u2019s killers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Italian prosecutor said on Thursday that graduate student Giulio Regeni, who was kidnapped and murdered in Cairo two years ago, was killed due to his research into Egypt\u2019s independent labor unions. On the second anniversary of his disappearance, Italy\u2019s main newspapers published an article written by Rome\u2019s chief prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone summarizing the results […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7863],"tags":[2484,18130,23747,31912],"class_list":["post-68234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-section","tag-egypt","tag-giulio-regeni","tag-italy","tag-maha-abdelrahman"],"yoast_head":"\n