Italian court convicts three Egyptian security officials in Giulio Regeni kidnapping case

An Italian court has convicted three Egyptian security officials in absentia over the kidnapping of Giulio Regeni, the Italian student whose death in Egypt in 2016 triggered years of diplomatic tension. The men were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for aggravated kidnapping, while a fourth defendant was acquitted. The ruling was delivered on Monday in Rome and marks a major new step in a case that has remained unresolved for a decade.

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Regeni, a postgraduate student at the University of Cambridge, disappeared in Cairo in January 2016 while researching union activity among street vendors. His body was later found on the side of a road with signs of severe abuse, including broken teeth, cigarette burns and broken bones. A post-mortem concluded that he had been tortured.

The court proceedings were held in absentia, and the defendants are unlikely to face extradition. Rome Chief Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi said the outcome was achieved despite what he described as limited cooperation from the Egyptian authorities. The convicted men were identified as Major Magdi Sharif of General Intelligence, police Colonel Hisham Helmy and Colonel Ather Kamal, a former head of investigations in Cairo.

The acquitted defendant was former state security chief Major General Tarek Sabir. The judge also dismissed a separate accusation of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder against Sharif. The case has long been a source of strain between Italy and Egypt because it raised allegations that state security officials were involved in the abduction and torture of a foreign student.

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Italian prosecutors argued that Regeni was targeted because of his academic research, while Egypt has denied any involvement in his death. Egyptian and Italian prosecutors initially worked together, but the investigation later diverged after Egypt said a criminal gang was responsible and had been killed in a police shootout. Egyptian authorities have since maintained that Regeni's killers remain unknown.

The ruling is significant because it keeps international attention on a case that has become symbolic of wider concerns about accountability, cross-border justice and the treatment of detainees. Italian law allows for the prosecution of crimes committed abroad against Italian citizens, which made the trial possible even though the defendants were not present. The case has also highlighted the limits of legal cooperation when one state refuses to hand over suspects or provide what prosecutors consider full assistance.

What happens next is unclear, including whether there will be further legal steps in Italy or any change in the position of the Egyptian authorities. The practical impact of the convictions may be limited if the men remain outside Italian reach. Even so, the verdict closes one chapter in a case that has remained politically sensitive since Regeni's disappearance and death in 2016.

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