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Rome Court issues verdict in Giulio Regeni case

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2026-09-28 17:44 UTC → 2026-09-28 18:43 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The investigation into the 2016 kidnapping, torture, and death of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni in Cairo has reached a significant judicial milestone. Following years of diplomatic friction and allegations of systematic cover-ups by Egyptian authorities, the Rome Court of Assizes has issued its first-degree verdict. The court convicted three Egyptian National Security officials—Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif, Colonel Uhsam Helmi, and Colonel Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim—of aggravated kidnapping, sentencing each to 10 years in prison. While the prosecution had originally sought life imprisonment for Sharif and 17.5 years for the others, the court dismissed the charges of murder and conspiracy, focusing the convictions solely on the kidnapping. A fourth defendant, Major General Tarek Sabir, was acquitted of all charges. The defendants were tried in absentia, as Egyptian authorities have consistently denied state involvement and refused to cooperate with the Italian investigation. In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered immediate provisional compensation for the Regeni family and the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers. This verdict follows a decade-long legal battle in which Italian prosecutors alleged Regeni was targeted by state apparatuses under the mistaken suspicion of being a spy. The Italian State Attorney’s Office had also requested 2 million euros in damages from the accused.

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