Resumption of the Trial of Four Egyptians in the Case of Giulio Regeni's Murder

On Tuesday, the trial of four Egyptian security officers accused of the kidnapping and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo resumed in Italy after a long delay due to doubts over the legality of the proceedings. Regeni, a graduate student at the University of Cambridge, disappeared in January 2016 in the Egyptian capital. His body was found about a week later, and forensic examinations revealed he had been tortured prior to his death. Italian prosecutors believe that four Egyptian security officials were involved in the murder, but they have been unable to locate them to issue summonses, so they are being tried in absentia. The proceedings initially began in October 2021 but were immediately halted after the judge questioned whether the trial would be legal if it were unclear that the accused were aware of the charges against them. Last year, Italy's highest court dismissed these concerns, stating that Egypt's failure to cooperate in locating the suspects should not impede the trial.