Three Egyptian Security Officials Convicted in Giulio Regeni Kidnapping
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Three Egyptian security officials have been convicted by a Rome court over the kidnapping of an Italian student whose tortured body was found in Cairo a decade ago.
By Olivia Ireland
Published 29 September 2026, 00:21 BST
Updated 2 hours ago
Three Egyptian security officials, who were tried in absentia, denied the charges. On Monday they were sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of aggravated kidnapping. A fourth Egyptian defendant was acquitted.
Giulio Regeni, 28, a Cambridge University PhD student, went missing while on research in Egypt in 2016. Days later, his mutilated body was found in a ditch near Cairo. An autopsy revealed torture.
Italian and Egyptian prosecutors reached contrasting conclusions. Egypt blamed gangsters, suggesting various explanations for Regeni's death, while Rome concluded the Egyptian national security agency was involved.
The convicted defendants include Gen Tariq Sabir, Col Usham Helmi, Col Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim and Maj Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif. Sabir was acquitted.
Rome's chief prosecutor and Regeni's family lawyer welcomed the verdict, emphasizing the defeat of impunity and the protection of democracies against arbitrary power.
Regeni's family had campaigned for years for justice. As the verdict was announced, they remained silent, wearing yellow - the color of their campaign.
Regeni was abducted while conducting research on Egypt's independent trade unions, a sensitive topic. His mother identified him by his nose after his body was found severely disfigured, showing signs of beating and torture that led to his broken neck.
This verdict ends Italy’s years-long effort to prosecute the security officials, though extradition seems unlikely to occur. It potentially renews diplomatic tensions between the two countries.